The Nightmare Games
by Paoshirou Hozomi
Summary: "Winning means Fame and Fortune Losing means certain Death The Nightmare Games have begun." Jack just wants to protect his sister. Hiccup had no idea how to deal with this But neither of them have a say in this matter. Except things lie in a scale of love It was no longer about survival It was about living for something. They can't do everything. But they'll do what they can.
1. THE NIGHTMARE GAMES: The Reaping

**THE NIGHTMARE GAMES**

**A/N: So this has been in my head a while. Don't really know where this is headed but thought I'd at least give it a try. I know I usually do castings from the start but since I'm in testing waters with this one, I'll do the castings each chapter of the when the characters will first appear. It won't be like my other ficc that I'll update consecutively. Like, when I get around reading the chapters and it's not narrative so it will be easier for me to twist it up a bit more. I'm still focused on my disney au's. So yeah. Before you get bored and not read this, let's start!**

**The lullabye song you think of the tune 'Kiss the rain.' I liked that cover version.**

**Disclaimer: Hunger games is owned by Suzanne Collins. Characters are either owned by Rise of the Guardians/Dreamworks, How to train your Dragon/Dreamworks, and other animations. I own nothing.**

**Jackson - Katniss**

**Emma - Prim**

**Mrs. Overland - Mrs. Everdeen**

**Mr. Overland - Mr. Everdeen**

**Jamie - Gale**

**Stoick - Mr. Mellarck**

**Toothiana - Effie Trinket**

**Gothi - Greasy Sae**

**Hiccup - Peeta**

**Toothless - Mockingjay**

**Snoutlout - One of Peeta's brothers that never really made an appearance in either movie(at least, part one, haven't watched two yet) or book**

**Vahallarma - Mrs. Mellarck**

**Heather - Madge**

**Aster - Haymitch**

**Burgess - Panem**

**Berk - The Capitol**

**Guardians - Peacekeepers**

**The Reaping**

"AHHH!"

"Emma, shh, shh, hush, it was just a dream..."

"It was me... Jack, it was my name...*sob sob*"

"No, it wasn't you. Just a bad dream, Ems. You're okay, I got you. You only got one name

in there, no way are they gonna pick you, let's go back to sleep..."

"Will you sing that song for me?"

"Sure Ems...

_Deep in the meadow. Under the willow._

_A bed of grass. A soft green pillow._

_Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes._

_And when again they open, the sun will rise._

_Here it's safe, here it's warm._

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm._

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true._

_Here is the place where I love you._

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away._

_A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray_

_Forget your woes and let your troubles lay_

_And when again it's morning, they'll wash away._

_Here it's safe, here it's warm._

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm._

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true._

_Here is the place where I love you._

~o~

When Jack woke up again, the other side of the bed is cold. He stretches out, seeking Emma's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the matress.

_She must have had bad dreams again and climbed in with mom... _

And Jack wouldn't doubt it at all, it was the day of reaping, and his little sister's first year of having her name placed. As if Jack would ever have her sign up, it's just too bad it was mandatory when they reached twelve years old.

Jack props himself up on one elbow. There's enough light in the bedroom to see them; His little sister's, Emma, curled up on her side, cocooned in Mrs. Overland's body, their cheeks pressed together. In sleep, their mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten-down. Emma's face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as any flower. Their mother was very beautiful once, too. Or so everyone tells Jack.

He only believes it when he looks at Emma, who they also say looks like her. And he'd have to agree. More than him, anyway, and gender doesn't really have much to do with it.

Sitting at Emma's knees, guarding her, is the world's ugliest cat. (Jack's opinion. Even if he did get it for her. He was probably right.) Mashed-in nose, half of one ear missing, eyes the color of rotting squash. Emma named him Buttercup, insisting that his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower. Jack was never fond of it, and they argued about it once.

_He hates me._

_No he doesn't. You bought him._

_For you. He still thinks I'm gonna cook him without you guarding it..._

It was probably true, too. Scrawny kitten, belly swollen with worms, crawling with fleas... (But Jack had it cleaned when he was gonna cook it) Jack still remembers how he tried to drown him after he brought it home to cook for his sister's birthday dinner, until she begged her brother if she could keep it, and he let her somewhat reluctantly. The last thing the older Overland sibling needed was an extra mouth to feed. But Emma begged so hard, cried even, he had to give it to her.

_It made her happy at least..._

Mrs. Overland didn't care eitherway. She rarely did anymore.

It turned out okay. Mrs. Overland cleaned him off from any vermin every now and then, and he's a born mouser. It even catches the occasional rat. Sometimes, when Jack cleans a kill, he feeds the cat the entrails. It stopped hissing at him as much since then, and it were the only times they tag teamed.

_Entrails. No hissing. This is the closest we will ever come to love._

Jack swing his legs off the bed. He pulls on trousers, a white long-sleeved shirt, a cape-cloak thing over his shoulders, and made to grab his forage bag. He usually prefers going barefoot, but they keep the supple leathered hunting boots as remembrance their father. On the table, under a wooden bowl to protect from hungry rats and cats alike, sits a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Emma's gift to Jack for ever reaping day. Buttercup wakes and hisses at Jack, seeing the cheese. The boy merely narrows his eyes at the creature his sister calls a pet.

"I'll still cook you."

Another hiss.

He puts the cheese carefully in his pocket as he slip outside.

Their part of District 12, named the Seam, is usually with ice makers, carvers, gatherers and the like. They're at the very coldest part of the country so they get snow even at summer. It was autumn now. There's an underground lake in a mine and that's where the people are heading out to the morning shift at this hour. Men and women with hunched shoulders, swollen knuckles, many who have long since numbed out from all the frost and ice, the lines of their sunken faces. But today the dirt-covered snow streets are empty. Shutters on the squat gray houses are closed. The reaping isn't until two. If anyone could sleep in, they can.

The Overland home is almost at the edge of the Seam. Jack only has to pass a few gates to reach the scruffy field called the Meadow. Separating the meadow from the woods, in fact enclosing all of District 12, is a high chain-link fence topped with barbed-wire loops. In theory, it's suppose to be electrified twenty-four hours a day as a deterrent to the predators that live in the woods-packs of wild dogs, lone cougars, bears, even dragons that lose their will to fly-that used to threaten our streets so they don't go out here for their livelihood. But since they get only two or three hours of electricity in the evenings, it's usually safe to touch till then. Even so, Jack always takes a moment to listen carefully for the hum that means the fence is live. Right now, it's silent as a stone. Concealed by a clump of bushes, the Overland boy flatten out on his belly and slide under a two-foot stretch that's been loose for years. There are several weak spots in the fence but this one is so close to his home, he almost always enter the woods here.

As soon as Jack's in the trees, he retrieves a long sturdy pole-like stick from a hallow log and attached the spearhead to it with a spool of sturdy roots. Electrified or not, the fence has been successful at keeping the flesh-eaters out of District 12. Inside the woods they roam freely and there are added concerns like venomous snakes, rabid animals, and no real paths to follow. But there's also food if you know how to find it. Mr. Overland knew and he taught Jack some before he was blown to bits in a mine explosion. How an explosion occured in a mine where there was only a lake was beyond them, but they chalked it up to a malfunction in the machinery that helped them transport the ice easily. There was nothing to even bury. Jack was eleven then. Six years later, he still wakes up screaming for him to run.

Even though trespassing in the woods is illegal and poaching carries the severest of penalties, more people would risk it if they had weapons. But most are not bold enough to venture out with just a knife. Jack's makeshift staff was a rarity, crafted by Mr. Overland along with a few others that he keeps well-hidden in the woods, carefully wrapped in waterproof covers. His father could have made good money selling them, but if the officials found out he would have been publicly executed for inciting a rebellion. Most of the Guardians turn a blind eye to the few of those who hunt because they're as hungry for fresh meat as anybody is. In fact, they're one of Jack's best customers. The Overland boy was a full-pledged hunter, so he never really had to go to the mines, partly because he can get food on the table without an extra risk and partly because he was still in a trauma from what happened to his father. So anyway, the idea that someone might be arming the Seam would never have been allowed.

In the winter, when it wasn't the hailing, devasting part of it, a few brave souls sneak into the woods to harvest winter apples. But always in sight of the Meadow. Always close enough to run back to the safety of District 12 if trouble arises. Except Jack always tries to go a bit furthur, unafraid like most people from his district.

"District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety." Jack murmured. Then he glances quickly over his shoulder. Even here, even in the middle of nowhere, you worry someone might overhear you.

When the boy was younger, he scared his mother to death, the things he would blurt out about District 12, about the people who rule their country. Burgess, from the far-off Capital city called Berk. Eventually, Jack understood this would only lead them to more trouble. So he learned to hold his tongue and to turn his features into an indifferent mask so that no one would even look at him, let alone hear his thoughts. He played invisible. Do his work quietly in school. Make only polite small talk in the public market. Discuss more than trades in the Hob, which is the black market where he makes most of his money. Even at home, where he lets loose and becomes playfully mischievous for his beloved sister, he avoids discussing tricky topics. Like the reaping, or food shortages, or the Nightmare Games. Emma might begin to repeat her brother's words and then where would they be?

In the woods waits one of the only person with whom Jack can be his wacky self. Jamie. Jack feels the muscles in my face relaxing, his pace quickening as he climbs the hills to their place, a rock ledge overlooking a valley. A thicket of berry bushes protects it from unwanted eyes.

Suddenly, Jack stops when he sees a mountain deer. Very rare this time of year. So he tracks it down, pulling a sling from his cape-cloak inner pocket. He picked up a rock and shot it across the nearby tree by the creature to make it move and he can get a clearer shot. It moved and settled into the nearest clearing. He switched the pole's spearhead to one that makes the pole look like a Shepherd's crook and got his sling, making an alternate slingshot with the Crook. He took the spearhead and was ready to take his aim. He breathed carefully and concentrated.

"Hey Jack Frost!"

Jack panicked. He saw the deer making his escape and too late let go of the spearhead, making it hit the tree near it instead. He cursed and whipped his head back to find the brunette who called him grinning down at him from a hill.

"Damn you, Jamie. That was the first deer I've seen the whole year," Jack trudged towards him. "now I got nothing."

Jamie laughs when the two boys finally stood in front of each other. "Yeah? And what are you gonna do when people see you with a whole mountain deer, Jack Frost?" He taunted.

For the record, Jack's real name was Jackson Overland. But when they first met, Jamie thought he was the actual spirit because Jack barely whispered _Jackson _when he first told him his name, and -son was never heard, and you could also account it due to the fact of his pale complexion and it was winter and the Overland boy's first hunt, so he got some white dye and turned his hair so that it camouflaged with the snow. It became Jamie's official nickname for him when the dye turned out to be White paint and since they did first met in winter.

Plus, the dye-paint never came off.

"Please, I was gonna sell it to the Guardians."

"Sure you were."

"Oh, like you don't sell to Guardians?"

Jamie had to give him that. Jack smiled, Jamie claims that he never sees the brunette-turned-white-haired smile except in the woods, and that was only cause he never stays long when visiting the Overland home since he had his own family to look after. Jamie took a stone and told his best friend to make ready. He threw the stone to the nearest tree. A bunch of racoons scrambled over, Jack took aim and launched his spear to one that was climbing down the said tree. They laughed and made to retrieve the kill and weapon when they heard something fly overhead.

A Berk Hovercraft.

Jamie pressed against a tree and pulled Jack to do the same. When it finally passed, they gathered the spear and kill, making their way back to _their place._

**:::::**

"Look what I shot." Jamie holds up a loaf of bread with an arrow stuck in it. Jack laughed at the joke. But it's real bakery bread, not the flat, dense loaves Jack makes from their grain rations. Jack takes it in his hands, pull out the arrow, and hold the puncture in the crust to his nose, inhaling the fragrance that makes his mouth flood with saliva. Fine bread like this is for special occasions.

"Mm, still warm," Jack said, thinking Jamie must have been at the bakery at the crack of dawn to trade for it. "What did it cost you?"

"Just a squirrel. Think old man Stoick was feeling sentimental this morning." Said Jamie. "Even wished me luck."

"Well, we all feel a little closer today, don't we?" Jack said, not even bothering to roll his eyes. "Emma left us a cheese." He pulled it out.

Jamie's expression brightens at the treat. "Thank you, Emma. We'll have a real feast." Suddenly, he falls into a Berk accent as he mimics Toothiana, the begrudgingly-admitted sweet and tender hearted woman who arrives once a year to read out the names at the reaping. Everyone likes her, no matter how hard they try not to since she's from Berk. She always acted compassionate and doesn't even try to sugar coat the Nightmare games like any other name-picker from Berk. "I almost forgot! Merry Nightmare Games!" He plucks a few blackberries from the bushes around them. "And may the odds-" He tosses a berry in a high arc toward Jack.

Jack catches it in his mouth and breaks the delicate skin with his sparkly white teeth, which Toothiana would have loved to see. The sweet tartness explodes across his tongue. "-be _ever_ in your favor!" He finishes with equal verve. Jack laughed after. "But you know, Toothiana is never really perky about it since the first time. Actually, that was the one time she sugar coated it."

They have to joke about it however, because the alternative is to be scared out of their wits. Besides the Berk accent is so affected, almost anything sounds funny with it. Jamie pulls out a knife and slices the bread.

The two were like brothers, however not in the sense that they look alike because they don't. At least, not since Jack turned his hair white and that he had blue eyes as oppose to Jamie's brown ones with matching brownie-like colored hair. Most families who work here resemble one another that way. If Jack had never dyed out his hair and if he worked in the mines like Jamie, who claims that a little extra effort never hurt him even if he did hunt almost as much as Jack, he would fit right in as well despite his exquisite blue eyes.

That's why he wondered if he was related with Mrs. Overland and Emma, who had brown eyes like everyone. Well, he obviously was, they have his birth certificate and all but that's beside the point. He definitely got it from his father. Mr. Overland's parents, ergo Jack's supposed grandparents he will never meet, were part of the small merchant class that caters to officials. Guardians, and the occasional Seam customer. Mr. Overland got to know his mother when she was out trading for herbs for her Apothecary shop. He went to live with her at the lower parts of District 12, where they resided in now, because his parents would never consent to his marrying her. This way, living here, was the only way his parents would never follow them. He must have really loved the maiden to leave his nice settled home for the Seam. Thanks to that, though, his father managed to learn how to hunt to survive and the herbs to help him along the way, that Jack now also relies on for survival. Jack tries to remember that when all he can see is the woman who sat by, blank and unreachable, while her children turned to skins and bones. He tries to forgive her for Mr. Overland's sake. But Jack was not exactly the forgiving type.

Jamie spreads the bread slices with the soft goat cheese, carefully placing a basil leaf on each while Jack strip the bushes of their berries. They settled back in a nook in the rocks. From this place, they were invisible but have a clear view of the valley, which is teeming with autumn life, a lake just a few feet down, not frozen over because the weather was fairly warm here as compared to back there. Greens to gather, roots to dig, fish iridescent in the sunlight. The day is glorious, with a blue sky and soft breeze. The food's the feasted on wonderful, with the cheese seeping into the warm bread and the berries bursting in their mouths. Everything would be perfect for the boys if this was a holiday, if all the day off meant was roaming the mountains with each other's company, hunting for tonight's supper. But instead, they have to be standing in the square at two o' clock waiting for the names to be called out, hoping it would never be theirs.

"We could do it, you know." Jamie said quietly.

"What?" Jack asked.

"Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it,"

Jack stared at his best friend, not knowing how to respond. The idea is so preposterous.

"If we didn't have so many kids," Jamie added quickly.

They didn't have kids, not exactly. But they might as well have. Jamie had a little sister named Sophie, plus two twin brothers Claud and Caleb. Jack had Emma. And they may as well throw in their mothers, too, because how would they live without the eldest male in the family? Who would fill those mouths that are always asking for more? With the two boys hunting daily, there are still nights when game has to be swapped for lard or shoelaces or wool, still nights when they go to bed with stomachs growling.

"I never want to have kids," Jack scoffed. He loved kids, that's why he didn't want to have his own and they go through what he does.

"I might." Jamie shrugged. "If I didn't live here,"

"But you do," I said, irritated. "so forget it."

Jamie grinned cockily at the albino. "C'mon, you're still not sore I turned you down, are you?" Jack jabs him lightly on the shoulder.

"Bah, heart-breaker."

"Seriously though Jack, we'd make good fathers and you know it. Of course, we could after we made sure our families were covered."

But Jack's solution to never having kids but still intend on marrying? He preferred boys. However, he doesn't know how that was working out for him. The first and probably only boy he could ever go for, Jamie, went for girls and had no choice but to turn him down. They were still best friends, not much change, and it was enough for Jack. Still...

_Leave? How could Jamie even suggest that? How could I leave Emma? And Jamie is devoted to his family. We can't leave. So why bother talking about it? And even if we did leave... Even if we did... Where did this stuff about having kids come from? _

Even if Jamie started taking an interest with guys, it wasn't like they could make it happen with each other. Never mind that there was barely any romance between them, it took them a long time for them to even become friends, to stop haggling over every trade and begin helping each other out. Jack wasn't about to risk that for unrequited infatuation.

He didn't think it was love, After all, he wasn't that heartbroken after. Just disappointed.

Besides, if Jamie wanted to be a father, he won't have any trouble finding a wife. He's good-looking, he's strong enough to handle the work in the mines, and he can hunt in the woods and feed mouths. Jack can tell by the way the girls whispers about him when he walks by in school that they wanted him. It made the self-made Albino jealous, but not for the reason he used to have when he was also fawning over him. Good hunting partners are hard to find, best friends even harder. Having their time together possibly jeapordize...

"What do you want to do?" Jack asked. They could hunt, fish, or gather...

**:::::**

On the way home, the boy swing by the Hob, the black market that operates in an abandoned warehouse that once held ice gathered. When the officials came up with a more efficient system that transported the ice directly from the mines to the train, the hob gradually took over the space. Most businesses are closed by thisa time on reaping day, but the black market is fairly busy. The best friends easily traded six of the fish for good bread, the others for salt. Gothi, a puny and bony woman who sells bowls of hot soup from a large kettle, takes half the greens off their hands in exchange for a couple chunks of paraffin. The boys might do a tad better elsewhere but they make an effort to keep on good terms with Gothi. She does supply Mrs. Overland with the herbs she needs, some Jack forgets to bring back and its on an urgent day. Not to mention she was the only one who can consistently be counted on to buy wild dog. Dogs were pets, until they go wild. No one in the Seam would turn up their nose at a good leg of wild dog, but the Guardians who come to the Hob can afford to be a little choosier.

Jamie and Jack divides their spoils, leaving two fish, a couple of loaves of good bread, greens, a quart of strawberries, salt, paraffin, and a bit of money for each.

"See you in the square later," Jack said.

Jamie nodded. "Best of luck."

~o~

_**While Jack and Jamie were on their way back home...**_

"Let's fish at the lake. We can leave our poles and gather in the woods. Get something nice for tonight." A scrawny, freckled-face and green-eyed teenager suggested to his beefier brother. "Toothless could use some island cod."

The beefier teen shrugged, bored. "Or we could finally eat your stupid cat."

On that note, a jet-black cat clawed the older brunette's face, who yelped in pain. In all honesty, the cat was the best-looking cat around and would probably sell for a good price. But it was their mother's gift to Hiccup, even said it was special and would always protect the youngest, who was the scrawniest in the family.

"Make him stop, Hiccup!"

"You have to apologize first, because honestly, that's the only way to make him stop, Snoutlout."

"Fine, damnit! Sorry!"

Toothless clawed the boy once more before returning to Hiccup's side, who tried not to laugh to hard. They were the sons of the Haddocks, Stoick and Vahallarma, bread bakers. Once before, the father did more than just bake. He hunted at the woods like the few others who did to earn more food on the table. But ever since he aged enough to have the occasional split disk, he was advised to stay home. Val stayed to help out while the boys took over Stoick's hunting hobby-slash-job... Of course, one more so than the other, if the SCRAWNY and BEEFIER contrasting description is any hint.

"Agh, I don't see why I always have to bring you along with me." Snoutlout complained, grabbing his hunting knife and climbing a tree to get a better view. "I mean, I already have to risk my life hunting, now I got you to babysit?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes pointedly. "Hey, if it wasn't for me, you'd still be wondering how people get in to the woods." He snapped. "I mean, who was the one who figured out that the fence wasn't even live?"

Toothless meowed and jumped on Hiccup's shoulder, as if in answer. As if the cat ever did anything but side with his master. Hiccup was clever, so he always tagged along to get Snoutlout, his stronger, brawnier brother, out of any trouble.

"Ah, ba-blah. Shut up,"

"Just think of it as killing two birds with one stone,"

"How can you ever kill two birds with one stone?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes once more. "Ahh nevermind, come on," He trudged off. "let's get that Island cod before it's time to head back for tonight."

_Tonight... After the Reaping..._ Hiccup sighed heavily. No matter how hard he tried, it was impossible not to think of it. Especially with his name being in it for over five times this year since he just turned sixteen before when it was time to enter. After Reaping everyone is supposed to celebrate. And a lot of people do, out of relief that their children have been spared for another year. But at least two families will pull their shutters, lock their doors, and try to figure how they will survive the painful weeks to come.

The Haddock brothers made out predators were somehow no match for them, and Toothless seemed well able to protect Hiccup from the occasional lynx despite it being thrice his size. The younger viking had no idea how his best friend-pet does it, but he seemed to have strength beyond his own. Forget what Snoutlout said about babysitting, if that. Toothless did most of the deed. By early afternoon, they had a dozen fish, a bag of greens and, best of all, a gallon of strawberries. Which was mostly Snoutlout's doing, Hiccup had to admit. Still, it was the younger Haddock who found the patch and had the idea to string mesh nets around it to keep out the animals. And the one who actually made the nets.

**:::::**

When they finished and made a few trade offs at the Hob, the brothers go to the back door of the mayor's house to sell half the strawberries, knowing he has a particular fondness for them and can afford their price. The Mayor's daughter, Heather, opens the door. She's in Hiccup's year at school. Snoutlout flirted with her till he found out who her father was. Being the Mayor's daughter, people would expect her to be a snob, but she's all right. She just keeps to herself. Pretty much like Hiccup who just draws and reads a lot. Since neither of them really has a group of friends, they seem to end up together a lot at school. Eating lunch, sitting next to each other at assemblies, partnering for sport activities (futile since neither were much athletic). They rarely talk, Heather being too shy, and Hiccup being socially awkward. It suited them fine.

Today her drab school outfit has been replaced by an expensive white dress and her raven-black hair is done up with a purple ribbon. Reaping clothes.

"Pretty dress," said Snoutlout.

Heather shot him a look, trying to see if it's a genuine compliment or if h's just being ironic. It is a pretty dress but she would never be wearing it ordinarily. She presses her lips together and then smiles. "Well, if I end up going to Berk, I want to look nice, don't I?"

Now it's Snoutlout's turn to be confused. So did Hiccup._ Does she mean it? Or is she messing with him? I'm guessing the second one. _The younger brother thought, stroking Toothless's fur.

"You won't be going to Berk." Snoutlout snorted. His eyes land on a small, circular pin that adorns her dress. Glistening onyx-colored with a Dragon head symbol. Beautifully crafted. It could keep a family in bread for months. "What can you have? Five entries? I had five when I was just twelve years old. Now I'm seventeen and got, what, more than a dozen?"

"I'm surprise you can count that high." Hiccup groaned. "And lay off, that's not her fault."

"No, it's no one's fault, just the way it is." Snoutlout spat.

Heather's face has become closed off. She puts the money for the berries in my hands. "Been taking care of Toothless, Hiccup?" She smiled sweetly.

The younger Haddock nodded, letting the girl pet the cat. "Thanks for trading it off to our mom without charge," He said. "He's been great."

"It's fine. He seemed rather eager anyway to be given away when he saw you," Heather told him. "Guess you're a special guy, Hiccup." She closed the door.

"Huh?" Hiccup blinked. "well that wasn't weird."

"Let's go."

**:::::**

The brothers walked toward the Seam in silence. Hiccup didn't like that Snoutlout took a dig at Heather, but he's right. The reaping system is unfair; with the poor getting the worst of it. You become eligible for the reaping the day you turn twelve. That year, your name is entered once. At thirteen, twice. And so on and so on until you reach the age of eighteen, the final year of eligibility, when your name goes into the pool seven times. That's true for every citizen in all twelve districts in the entire country of Burgess.

But here's the catch. Say you are poor and starving, as almost everyone and their mothers are in District twelve if you don't count the Guardians and the Mayor and his family. You can opt to add your name more times in exchange for tesserae. Each tessera is worth a meager year's supply of grain and oil for a person. You may do this for each of your family members as well. So, at the age of twelve, Snoutlout had his name entered five times, for his mandatory reaping entry and four more for his tesserae out of himself, Hiccup, Stoick and Vahallarma. Just because they had bakers for parents didn't follow they had enough food. In fact, Snoutlout had to do this every year. And the entries are cumulative.So now, at the age of seventeen, Snoutlout's name would have entered about forty-six times. Being sixteen, Hiccup's name would have been entered around twenty times if Val ever let her youngest take up the tessarae. Actually, no one in the Haddock family wanted to take the risk of Hiccup's chances being chosen at all, not even Snoutlout. He knew he was simply adopted into the family when his father and Stoick's brother, therefore Hiccup's uncle, Spitelout, died in a mine cave in. He took the tesserae because he owed his aunt and uncle, he didn't have to live off the streets. As boorish as he was, Snoutlout was not without heart. He wasn't into the real son possibly being take away.

So Snoutlout sees someone like Heather, who has never been at risk of needing a tessera, as one who can set him off. The chance of her name being drawn is very slim compared to those of the Seam. Not impossible, but slim. And even the rules were set up by Berk, not the districts. Certainly not Heather's family. It's hard not to resent those who don't have to sign up for tesserae.

Snoutlout's anger on Heather is misdirected, however. On other days, deep in the woods, Hiccup listened to him rant about how the tesserae are just another tool to cause misery in the districts. A way to plant hatred between the starving workers and thjose who can generally count on supper and thereby ensure no one trusts another. "I swear I'm so angry right now... I'll avenge every single one of our fallen tribute, I'll chop down every building at Berk. With my face." Snoutlout might say if there were no ears to hear, if it wasn't reaping day. If a girl with an onyx pin and no tesserae had not made what Hiccup's sure Heather thought was a harmless comment.

As they walk, Hiccup glances over Snoutlout's face, still smoldering underneath his stony expression. His rages seem pointless, although Hiccup never says so. It wasn't that he didn't agree with his cousin-now-brother. He did. _But what good is yelling about Berk? It doesn't change anything. _It doesn't make things fair. It didn't fill their stomachs. In fact, it even scares of game when they were out in the woods. But the younger male lets him, better there than in the District.

~o~

At home, Jack finds his mother and sister are ready to go. wears a fine dress back in her days. Emma is in her first reaping outfit, a skirt and ruffled blouse. It's a bit big on her but has made it stay with pins. Even so, the little girl was having trouble keeping the blouse tucked in at the back.

A tub of warm water waits for Jack, although he actually prefer the cold. He scrub off the dirt and sweat from the woods and even washed his hair. His mother kept telling to scrub harder because the paint might finally give way but the boy grew to love it. To Jack's surprise, Mrs. Overland has laid out his father's dress clothes for him, because he'll finally fit into them this year. A ice blue thing with matching shoes. He finally decided to wear them since it ws his father's. Still...

"Are you sure?" He asked his mother. He's trying to get past rejecting offers of help from her. For awhile he was so angry. He wouldn't allow her to do anything for him. And this is something special. Her beloved husband's rich clothes are very precious to her, even his clothes in general.

"Of course. Let me spiked up your hair too, like he used to." She said. He let her towel-dry it and from some leftover hair gel she styled it. Jack can hardly recognize himself in the cracked mirror that leans against of the wall, he couln't make out his usually messy fall-down hair raised up stiffly and in place to a more decent manner.

"You look handsome." Emma said in a hushed voice.

"And nothing like myself." He said. Jack hugged her, because he knows these next few hours wil be terrible for her. Her first reaping. She's about as safe as you can get, since she's only entered once. Jack wouldn't let her take out any tesserae. But Emma's worried about her brother. That the unthinkable might happen.

Jack protects Emma in every way he can, but he was powerless against the reaping. The anguish he always feels when she's in pain wells up in his chest and threatens to register on his face. Jack notice her blouse has pulled out of her skirt in the back again and force himself to stay calm.

"Tuck your tail in, little duck." He said smoothing the blouse back in place.

Emma giggled and gives him a small "Quack."

"Quack yourself." Jack said with a litle smirk and laughs, the kinds only Emma can draw out of him. "Come on, let's eat." He said and plant a quick kiss on top of her head.

The fish and greens are already cooking in a stew but that will be for supper. We decide to save the strawberries and bakery bread for this evening's meal, to make it special. Instead they drink milk from Emma's goat, Lady, and eat the rough bread made from the tessera grain, although no one has much appetite anyay.

At one o'clock, they head for the square. Attendance is mandatory unless you are in death's door. This evening, officials will come around and check to see if this is the case. If not, you'll be imprisoned.

It's too bad, really, that they hold the reaping in the square-one of the few places in district 12 that can be pleasant. The square's surrounded by shops, and on public market days, especially if there's good weather, it has a holiday feel to it. But today, despite the bright banners hanging on the buildings, there's an air of grimness. The camera crews, perched lie the buzzards on rooftops, only add to the effect.

People file in silently and sign in. The reaping is a good oppurtunity for Berk to keep tabs on the population as well. Twelve-year-olds through eighteen-year-olds are herded into roped areas marked off by ages, the oldest in the front, the young ones, like Emma, toward the back. Family members line up around the perimeter, holding tightly to one another's hands. But there are others, too, who have no one they love at stake, or who no longer care, who slipped among the crowd, taking bets on the two kids whose name will be drawn. Odds are given on the ages, whether they're Seam or Merchant, if they will break down and weep. Most refuse dealing with the racketeers but carefully. These same people tend to be informers and who hasn't broken the law? Jack could be shot on a daily basis for hunting but the appetite of those in charge protect him. Not everyone can claim the same.

Anyway, Jamie and Jack agree that if they have to choose between dying of hunger and a bullet in the head, the bullet would be much quicker.

The space gets tighter, more claustrophobic as people arrive. The square's quite large, but not enough to hold District 12's population of eight thousand. Latecomers are directed to the adjacent streets, where they can watch the event on screens as if televised live by the state.

Jack finds himself standing in a clump of seventeens from the Seam. They all exchange terse nods then focus their attention on the temporary stage that is set up before the Justice building. It holds three chairs, a podium, and two large glass balls, one for the boys and one for the girls. He stared at the paper slips in the boys' balls. Several dozens of them has Jackson Overland written on them in careful handwriting.

Two of the three chairs fill with the Mayor, and Toothiana, District 12's escort nad name-picker, fresh from Berk with sweet sympathetic smile, raven hair adorned with multi-color feathers, and wore a blue and green dress. They murmur to each other and then look with concern to the empty seat.

Just as the town clock strikes two, the mayor steps up to the podium and begins to read. It's the same story every year. He tells the story of Burgess, the country that rose up out of the ashes of a place that was once called Panem. He lists the disasters, the droughts, the storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained. The result was Burgess, a shining Berk rigned by thirteen district, which brought peace nad prosperity to its citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the uprising of the districts against Berk. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth district obliterated. The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace, and as the yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave the Nightmare games.

The rules of the Nightmare Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called lights, to participate. The twenty-four lights will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of weeks, the competitors mut fight to the death. The last light of the Nightmare experience wins.

Taking the kids from the districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch-this is Berk's way of reminding how the Districts were at their mercy. How little chance they would stand of surviving another rebellion. Whatever words they use, the real message is clear:

_**Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and **_

_**there's nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you**_

_**Just as we did in District Thirteen.**_

To make it humiliating as well as torturous, Berk requires the Nightmark Games to be treated as a festivity, a sporting event pitting every district against the others. The last light alive receives a life of ease back home, and their district will be showered with prizes, largely consisting of food. All year, Berk will show the winning district gifts of grain and oil and even delicacies like sugar while the rest battle starvation.

"It is both a time for repentence and a time for thanks," intones the mayor.

Then he reads the list of past District 12 victors. In seventy-four years, they have had exactly two. Only one is still alive. E. Aster Bunnymund, a double pony-tailed, middle-aged man, who shows up late once again, stone face and serious. Indifferent as always, uncaring except for when he paints eggs for no reason at all. Like he does now. The mayor looks distressed and quickly tries to pull the attention back to the reaping by introducing Toothiana.

The petite colorful woman trots to the podium and gives the signature, "Merry Nightmare Games. And may the odds be _ever _in your favor." She said, and everyone knew she meant it.

Through the farthest side of the line, alphabetically arranged, Jack spots Jamie looking back at him with a ghost of a smile. And the white haired teen suddenly thinks of both their names, several dozens of slips in that big glass ball and how the odds weren't in their favor. And maybe Jamie is thinking the same thing, because his face darkens and he turns away. "But there are still thousands of slips," Jack wish he could whisper to him.

It's time for the drawing. Tooth crosses to the glass ball with the girls' names. She reaches in, digs her hand deep into the ball, and pulls out a slip of paper. Soon after, she goes over to where the boys' names were and plucked one out. "Ladies first," She opens the girl's slip first. The crowd draws in a collective breath and then you can hear a pin drop.

"Emma Overland."

**A/N: I'll be honest, I typed this for two days. And for those who will review, please leave out a note that would tell me if you read the book or not. It'd be great if you noticed the little differences I put in even if I did copy it off. Thank you. **

**I feel kinda bad I made term **_**GUARDIANS **_**the counterpart for**_** PEACEKEEPERS. **_**But it goes well... I guess. I know I pretty much copied off the book, but hey, this is for my entertainment. I could continue it and could not. If I get too much haters, then I won't. But it was fun writing this chapter. I'll still make some twists. Like, I'll spoil this one, the MOCKINGJAY symbol is a NIGHTFURY, so both Jack and Hiccup will be equal symbols. Since I doubt Hiccup could be that clever-spoken diplomat that Peeta is. Still gonna see how that's gonna work out. In regards to my 'A Viking and The Frost' I didn't post yet because I plan on posting all final chapters together. So none of my Disney au's are abandoned, if you rememberfed what I said before I started this experimental ficc.**

**NO HATERS. YES POSITIVE CRITICISMS. This is fanfiction and we're free to write whatever. Don't like don't read. As simple as that sweeties.**


	2. The Lights

**A/N: So I just started the second to the last chapter of 'A Viking and The Frost' before I wrote this so I'm pretty closed to starting 'The Crippled Drake' Hope you guys enjoyed your holidays. I decided to make this official so yeah, it's for my entertainment. If you guys enjoy it that would be great. No haters please. We're free to write **_**whateves**_** we feel like. If you don't like it, hey, not my problem you clicked and started reading. Peace. Love you guys. If you read the book this chapter is of two and three, at least part of three, before they get to the train. No one new appears so I'll skip the casting.**

**The Lights**

_**It's time for the drawing. Tooth crosses to the glass ball with the girls' names. She reaches in, digs her hand deep into the ball, and pulls out a slip of paper. Soon after, she goes over to where the boys' names were and plucked one out. "Ladies first," She opens the girl's slip first. The crowd draws in a collective breath and then you can hear a pin drop.**_

_**"Emma Overland." **_

**:::::**

One time, when Jack was in a blind in a tree, waiting motionless for game to wander by, he dozed off and fell ten feet to the ground, landing on his back. It was as if the impact knocked every wisp of air from his lungs, and he laid there struggling to inhale, to exhale, to do anything.

That's how the self-made albino feels now, trying to remember how to breathe, unable to speak, totally stunned as the name bounces around the inside of his skull. Someone is gripping him, a boy from the bakery, Snoutlout, because Jack had started to fall, so he caught him.

_There must have been some mistake. This can't be happening, _Jack was practically hyperventilating. _Emma was one slip of paper in thousands! _Her chances of being chosen so remote that Jack had not even bothered to worry about her. Hadn't he done everything? Taken tesserae, refused to let Emma do the same? One slip. One slip in thousands. The odds had been entirely in her favor. But it hadn't mattered in the end.

Somewhere far away, the crowd is murmuring unhappily as they always do when twelve-year-olds gets chosen because no one thinks this is fair. Jack then sees his sister, the blood drained from her face, hands clenched in fists at her side, her eyes sparkling, walking with stiff, small steps up toward the stage, passing Jack, and he sees the back of her blouse has become untucked and hangs out over her skirt. It's this detail, the untucked blouse forming a ducktail, that brings Jack back to himself.

"Emma!" The strangled cry comes out of his throat, and his muscles begin to move again. "Emma!" He didn't need to shove through the crowd. The other kids make way immediately allowing Jack a straight path to the stage, who didn't catch Jamie's own look of disbelief. Guardians blocks Jack's path initially but the boy ducked and rushed over to his sister. With one sweep of his arm, he pushes her behind him. "I volunteer!" He gasped out. "I volunteer as Light!"

There's some confusion on the stage. District 12 hasn't had a volunteer in decades and the protocol has become rusty. The rule is that once a Light's name has been pulled from the ball, another eligible boy, if a boy's name has been read, or a girl, if a girl's name has been read, can step forward to take his or her place. In some districts, in which winning the reaping is such a great honor, people are eager to risk their lives, the volunteering is complicated. But in District 12, where the word _Light _is pretty much synonymous with the word _Corpse, _volunteers are all but extinct.

"Uhm," Tooth started. "But I believe there's a small matter of you being a boy. Unless you're perhaps related to her in some way, and since you look the right age, maybe..." she trails off, unsure herself.

That was the excemption to the rule. If a family member of an eligible age wishes to volunteer for a younger, gender aside, it was permitted.

Jack squared his shoulders, ignoring Emma's cry. "I'm her older brother. I can take her place! And I freakin' will!" He declared. Emma is screaming hysterically behind him, she's wrapped her skinny arms around him like a vice.

"No, Jack! No! You can't go!"

"Emma, let go," Jack said harshly, because this is upsetting him. He was already on the verge of tears, a bit freaked out himself. Everyone will make note of his tears, and he'll be marked as an easy target. A weakling, especially for a boy. _I will give no one that satisfaction. _"Let go!"

The Overland boy felt someone pulling Emma back, and he was ready to smack whoever if it was a Guardian, but when Jack turns he sees Jamie lifting Emma off the ground and she's thrashing in his arms. "Up you go, Jack Frost," He said, in a voice he's fighting to keep steady, and then he carries Emma off towards Mrs. Overland. Jack steels himself and climb the steps.

"Well now, all right." Tooth smiles encouragingly, taking Jack's arm and pulling him beside her on stage. "That was rather gallant... Now come on, you can get through this." She said, lowering her voice at the last part as she felt the albino's shoulder shook a bit, trying not to let anyone else in on it. "What's your name, dear?"

Jack swallows hard. "Jackson Overland." He said.

"You have lovely teeth, and an even lovelier sister." Tooth said softy. "She's definitely worth this." Jack nodded, agreeing a hundred percent. She continued, "Ladies and gentlemen, the first Light and volunteer of District Twelve, Jackson Overland!"

To the everlasting credit of the people of District 12, not one person claps. Not even the ones holding betting slips, the ones who are usually beyond caring. Possibly they know Jack from the Hob, or his father, or have encountered Emma, who no one can help loving. So instead of acknowledging applause, Jack stands there unmoving while they take part in the boldest form of dissent they can manage. Silence. Which says they do not agree. They do not condone. All of this is wrong.

Then something unexpected happens. At least, Jack doesn't expect it because he didn't think of District 12 as a place that cared about him. But a shift has occured since he stepped up to take Emma's place, and now it seems he have become someone precious. At first one, then another, then almost every member of the crowd touches the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and holds it out to Jack. It is an old an rarely used gesture of their district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means good-bye to someone loved.

Now Jack was truly in danger of crying, after laying low and being unseen, he gets o much more than mere acknowledgements. Luckily for Jack, Aster chooses this time to come staggering across the stage to congratulate him. "Well, you're a racking showpony, aren't ya?" He throws an arm around Jack's shoulders. He was stronger than he looked. "A little brumby, aye mate? Lots of... Spunk!" He walked off, flinging his arms in the air. "More than you!" He points at the camera and trudged off stage. "I've done my bit here, carry on without me!"

Jack was grateful, with every camera trained on Aster, he had enough time to release the small, choked sound in his throat and compose himself. He puts his hands behind his back and stare into the distance. He can see the hills he climbed this morning with Jamie. For a moment, he yearns for something... The idea of leaving the district, making their way in the woods, but he knew he had been right about not running off. Because who else would have volunteered for Emma?

Tooth gets the ball rolling again. "All right, proceeding to the next Light, shall we?" She unrolls the slip she got out of boys' glass, because she already plucked it out. It wouldn't do if she returned it and just picked out from the girls' glass again, there was a rule against that, but no rule against having same gender Lights. Jack didn't even have time to wish for Jamie's safety when Tooth's reading the name, "Hamish Haddock."

Hamish Haddock!

_Oh, no, _Jack thinks. _Not him! _He recognized this name, although he never spoken directly to its owner. Hamish Haddock. The albino teen watches the second Light makes his way towards the stage. Petite, scrawny build, auburn brown hair that falls in waves over his forehead. The shock of the moment is registering on his face, you can see his struggle to remain emotionless, but his green eyes show alarm the Overland boy have seen so often in prey. So Jack might've been wrong, thinking that Jamie was the only guy he could go for. Because he has always been interested with Hamish, a.k.a Hiccup, for quite sometime. But this was so much more than some infatuation _crush-candidate _fascination thing. So much more than that.

The odds were definitely not in his favor today.

_Why him? _Jack thinks. He tries to convince himself that it didn't matter. Hamish Haddock and Jackson Overland weren't friends, not for a longshot. Far from neighbors. They pass by each other in hallways at school, sure, but their real interaction happened years ago. One of them must have forgotten about it, but it sure wasn't Jack. And he knows he'll never will.

It was during the worst time. Mr. Overland had been killed in the mine accident three months earlier in the bitterest January anyone could remember. The numbness of his loss had passed, and the pain would hit Jack out of nowhere, doubling him over, racking his body with sobs. _Where are you? _He would cry out in his mind. _Where have you gone?_ Of course, there was never any answer.

The district had given Jack a small amount of money as compensation for his death along with the medal of valor since he was the oldest child. Compensation, enough to cover one month of grieving at which Mrs. Overland would be expected to get a job. Only he didn't, she didn't do anything but sit propped up in a chair or, more often, huddled under the blanket on her bed, eyes fixed on some pint in the distance. Once in a while, she'd stir, get up as if moved by some urgent purpose, only to then collapse back into stillness. No amount of pleading from Emma seemed to affect her.

Jack was terrified. Now that his mother was locked in some dark world of sadness, but at that time, all Jack knew was that he had lost not only a father but a mother as well. At Eleven years old with Emma just six, he took over as head of the family. There was no choice. He bought food at the market and cooked it as best as he could and tried to keep his sister and himself looking presentable. Because if it had become known that Mrs. Overland could no longer care for them, the district would have taken them away from her and placed them in a community home. Jack had grown up seeing those home kids at school. The sadness, the marks of angry hands on their faces, the hopelessness that curled their shoulders forward. He could never let that happen to Emma. Sweet, tiny Emma who cried before Jack cried when he ever did, before she even knew the reason, who brushed and plaited their mother's hair before they left for school, who still polished Mr. Overland's shaving mirror every night because he'd hate the layer of frost that settlled on everything in the Seam. The community home would crush her like a bug, so he kept their predicament a secret.

But the money ran out and they were slowly starving to death. There's no other way to put it. Jack kept telling himself if he could only hold out until September, just September 12th, he would turn twelve and be able to sign up for tesserae and get that precious grain and oil to feed them. Only there were still several weeks to go. They could well be dead by then.

Starvation's not an uncommon fate in District 12. Who hadn't seen the victims? Older people who can't work. Children from a family with too many to feed. Those injured in the mines. Straggling through the streets. And one day, you come upon them sitting motionless against a wall or lying in the meadow, you hear wails from a house, and the Guardians are called in to retrieve the body. Starvation is never the cause of death officially. Is always the flu, or exposure, or pneumonia. But that fools no one.

On the afternoon of the encounter with Hamish Haddock, the rain was falling in relentless icy sheets. Jack had been in town, trying to trade some threadbare old baby clothes of Emma's in the public market. But there were no takers. Although he had been to the Hob on several occasions with Mr. Overland, he was too frightened to venture into that rough, gritty place alone. The rain soaked through his father's cape-cloak thing, leaving Jack chilled to the bone. For three days, they'd had nothing but boiled water with some old dried mint leaves he'd found in the back of a cupboard. By the time the market closed, Jack was shaking so hard he dropped the bundle of baby clothes in a mud puddle. He didn't pick it up for fear he would keel over and be unable to regain his feet. Besides, no one wanted those clothes.

He couldn't go home. Because at home was Mrs. Overland with her dead eyes and Emma, with her hollow cheeks and cracked lips. Jack couldn't walk into that room with the smoky fire from the damp branches he had scavenged at the edge of the woods after the coal had run out, his hands empty of any hope.

Jack found himself stumbling along a muddy lane behind the shops that serve the wealthiest townspeople. The merchants live above their businesses, so he was essentially in their backyards. He remembers the outlines of garden beds not yet harvest ready, a goat or two in a pen, one sodden dog tied to a post, hunched defeated in the muck.

All forms of stealing are forbidden in District 12. Punishable by death. But it crossed Jack's mind that there might be something in the trash bins, and those were fair game. Perhaps a bone at the butcher's or rotted vegetables at the grocer's, something no one but the Overland family was desperate enough to eat. Unfortunately, the bins had just been emptied.

When Jack passed the baker's, the smell of fresh bread was so overwhelming he felt dizzy. The ovens were in the back, and a golden glow spilled out the open kitchen door. He stood mesmerized by the heat and the luscious scent until the rain interfered, running its icy fingers down his back, forcing Jack back to life. He lifted the lid to the baker's trash bin and found it spotlessly, heartlessly bare. Then dejectedly, he leaned against the tree.

Then, Jack noticed _him_. A boy with auburn hair peering out from the porch. He'd seen him at school, a year before him, and the Overland boy was interested him enough to know his name. He must have been watching Jack, although he slowly made his way back in the bakery. There was then yelling of an arguement between two of the younger boys that lived there, one of them adopted into the family from cousin to brother after another man by the name of Spitelout was killed at the same incident Mr. Overland died at. There was blaming for burnt bread. Then, there was the realization that Jack had nothing to take home finally sinking in. His knees buckled and he slid don the tree trunk to its roots. It was too much. Jack was sick and weak and tired, oh, so tired. _Let them call the Guardians and take us to the community home, _he thought. _Or better yet, let me die right here in the rain._

There was a clatter in the bakery and Jack heard the door open after a sound of a blow. He vaguely wondered what was going on. Feet sloshed toward him through the mud and Jack thought, _Maybe someone's coming to drive me away with a stick. _But that never happened. It was the boy. In his arms, he carried two large loaves of bread that must have fallen into the fire because the crusts were scorched black.

The cousin-brother yelled from the inside. "Feed it to the goats, you stupid fishbone! I slaved baking those breads now no one will buy then!" He complained.

The auburn boy rolled his eyes but didn't complain back. Sure, it was an exaggeration to say that he slaved over two loaves of bread, but he was right to complain for the waste of ingredients. But the auburn boy didn't really see it as a waste. He begun to tear off chunks from the burned parts, and made to stand in front of Jack. "Well, you'll probably take this either way whatever your parents say about talking and taking stuff from strangers. Still... I'm Hamish Haddock, so here." He offered a crooked smile and place the breads in between Jack's knees. "Help yourself,"

Jack stared at him, dumbstrucked. Then the front of the bakery bell rung and one of the adults from the baker called for the boy. The boy acknowledged Jack one more time, and the Overland boy noticed the red weal that stood out on his freckled cheek bone, that Jack later realized how he found those freckles cute when he stole glances at school days, weeks, and years later. What had his cousin-brother hit him with? Jack's parents never hit them. He couldn't even imagine it. Then, Hamish Haddock returned to the bakery.

The Overland boy stared at the loaves in disbelief. They were fine, perfect really, except for the burned areas. But hey, nothing was completely perfect in this world anymore. And they were warm too, even warmer than that were Jack's cheeks from the gesture, and it was then that Hamish Haddock captured the Overland boy's heart, unbeknownst to the boy himself. Before anyone could witness what had happened or take the luxury goods from him, Jack shoved the loaves under his cape-cloak and walked swiftly away. By the time he reached home, the loaves had cooled somewhat, but the insides were still warm. When Jack dropped them on the table, Emma's hands reached to tear off a chunk, but he made her sit, forced Mrs. Overland to join them at the table, and poured warm tea. Jack scraped off the black stuff and sliced the bread. They ate an entire loaf, slice by slice. It was hearty bread, filled with raisins and nuts.

Jack put his clothes to dry at the fire, crawled into the bed, and fell into a deep sleep, dreaming about the auburn boy that consumed his mind for tyhe following days to come. It didn't occured to him till the next day that the boy might have burned the bread on purpose. Might have dropped the loaves into the flames, knowing it meant being punished, and then delivered them to Jack. It would definitely explain the red weal on his cheek and the blow he heard, probably from his cousin-brother. He couldn't explain the boy's actions from anything but pure kindness. There was no pity in the smile, not that he saw, simply just intention to help out.

They ate slices of bread for breakfast and headed to school. It was now harvest time and leaves fell from the trees as Jack's birthday approached soon. Soft breezes, autumn leaves mixing with a few snow pile since there was snow no matter what time of the year, what season. At school, Jack passed the boy in the hall, his cheek swelled up and his eye had blackened. He was with the mayor's daughter, but they didn't really interact much with each other so it raised the Overland boy's hopes that there wasn't anything between them. He meant to thank him, but how would that look like? And would Hamish get more trouble when his parents found out he gave bread away to a stranger on purpose? Their eyes met once and Jack blushed furiously, turning away. That's when something struck him as he noticed the leaves falling, some of them still looking green making their way towards autumn colors. It was in those leaves Jack saw life and hope. He was alive, despite the horror of the past days. Jack was now the one to be counted on for survival as soon as he turns twelve, and he'll start hunting because he doubted tesserae grain can keep the fed for long and he was never going to work at the mine that took his father and thrusted this change in his life. Still, he knew he could do it, and he will do it for his sister. Change was hard, but like the change of autumn leaves, the naked trees going through winter and yet manages a rebirth everytime at the spring... Change was good. Change had hope. And he would never see this hope if he didn't live long enough for it.

**:::::**

To this day, Jack can never shake the connection between the boy, Hamish Haddock, and the bread that gave him hope, and the leaves that reminded him that he was not doomed if he went with along with change. He wanted so badly to return the favor. Jack hated returning favors, but this was an excemption. But the oppurtunity never seemed to present itself. And now it never will. Because they were going to be thrown into an arena to fight to the death. Exactly how was Jack supposed to work in a thank-you in there? Somehow it just won't seem sincere if he tried to slit his throat. He haven't even worked his way to at least get to an acquiantance standing with him, and any chance to hit on him disappears before it even formed.

_Well, there will be twenty-four of us. Odds are someone else will kill him before I do._

Of course, the odds have not been very dependable of late.

~o~

_Gods, _Hiccup thought, his eyes fixed on the stage where Tooth was introducing the first Light. _He's so noble to do that..._

The boy remembered this Jackson Overland years back one rainy day, and if they were just at the same age group, they might've even been friends at one point. Then, Hiccup had to rethink that. Heather and he was the same age group, and they barely even talk beyond casually polite greeting. And in any case, they lived in different parts of town.

Still, that did not stop the brunette from admiring what Jackson had done. He didn't think such a selfless act existed anymore, not in this world in any case. Even those who do volunteer in other districts don't do it selflessly, they do it because they get glory out of it. Here, surviving was so much more important than that... But apparentley, for Jackson, his sister was far more important than either. _Sure, there was Snoutlout,_ who didn't mind being the one taking up tesserae in behalf of the Haddock family, but he did that as a way of repaying them. Somewhat selfless, but also an act of conscience. Not that Hiccup wasn't grateful or anything, but it made him feel bad, useless.

He considered taking the place of Snoutlout if ever he was called next, but wondered if he can even push through with it. He sure didn't have the guts Jackson had. And Snoutlout probably had better chances out there than he did, assuming the other contenders had his level of intellect.

He didn't have much time to think of that more, however. Because Hiccup was snapped back to reality when the second Light's name was called.

"Hamish Haddock."

Hiccup's blood ran cold, his eyes widening like saucers. Did he really just hear his name called out? _N-no way... Why... How... There were five... I had as much chance as Heather did..._ He didn't realize how long he's been standing there till he was jostled by someone beside him and he saw a Guardian signaling for him to move. Still in a trance, Hiccup somehow manages to make his legs move and he walks out of the line and made his way towards the stage, still too stunned. All he knew was walkng, and he was completely oblivious to everything going on around him. He didn't catch his mother crying hysterically in his father's arms. He didn't see his cousin-brother's shell-shocked expression and barely concealed shame, not having the guts to volunteer the way Jackson had. There was one thing Hiccup was not oblivious to, however. Today was the first day of his last days.

Finally, the Haddock boy climbs steadily on the stage and takes his place on the other side of Tooth. She asks for volunteers but no one steps forward. Snoutlout could've, but this is standard. Family devotion only goes so far for most people on reaping day. What Jackson did was the radical thing. Tooth place both hands over Hiccup's shouders, then cupped his one cheek. "Hang in there, sweetie, hang in there," she murmured softly. Jackson and Hiccup was made to face each other and exchange handshakes. It was brief, but when Hiccup was pulling away, he had to tug a bit harder to break free from the Overland boy's grip, who didn't seem like he planned on letting go. Jackson looks Hiccup right in the eye and gives his hand what meant to be a reassuring squeeze. _Did he care?_

The Mayor looks at Hiccup with a pained expression on his face. He doesn't know Hiccup, really, but there's faint recognition there. Hiccup is one of the boys who brings the strawberries, the boy his daughter might have spoken of on occasion. Does he remember that? The Mayor begins to read the long, dull Treaty of Treason as he does every year at this point-it's required-but no one's listening to a word. He finishes the dreary Treaty of Treason. Then Guardians ashered them into the Justice Building as they turn back to the crowd and the anthem of Burgess plays.

Then, Hiccup remembers something important and turned around, trying to find any of his family. The Guardians stopped him, thinking he was trying to escape. Finally, Snoutlout seems to snapped out of something and made to volunteer. But it was premature, no longer valid. But Hiccup didn't turn back for that.

"Toothless! Snoutlout, bring Toothless in later!" The Haddock boy hollered desperately before the door closed in. Whatever happened, he had to see Toothless one last time. He was the most precious thing to him.

**:::::**

The anthem ends, the boys are taken into custody. Not that they were handcuffed or anything, but a group of Guardians marches them through the front door of the Justice building. Maybe Lights have tried to escape in the past. Hiccup have never seen that happen though. Then again, not that that said much about anything. He never really paid attention to these things.

Once inside, he was conducted to a room and left alone. It's the richest place he have ever been in, with thick, deep carpets and a velvet couch and chairs. Hiccup can't help but run his fingers over the fabric repeatedly. It helps him calm down as he tries to prepare for the next hour. The time allotted for the Lights to say good-bye to their loved ones. He could not afford to get upset, to leave this room with with puffy eyes and a red nose. Crying is not an option. There will be more cameras at the train station. But he had a feeling he wasn't going to go through with that. A feeling that was proven not a moment later. His parents came in and Val immediately embrace her son, the tears haven't stopped since they started. She couldn't accept the fact that she could possibly lose her precious child that she brought to this world and nursed. She kept him close and tousled his hair, just like she always does whenever she embraced him. Hiccup couldn't hold back his own tears Stoick comes over and wraps them both in his arms. He wasn't openly affectionate and usually showed his love for his son indirectly. But this was no time for that. So he planted a soft kiss on his son's forehead. For a few minutes, they say nothing.

Then, Hiccup looks over their shoulders. "Where's Snoutlout-?

~o~

"You can't leave again."

Jack started by telling his mother and sister all the things they must remember to do, now that he was not there to do them for them. Emma was not to take any tesserae. They can get by, if they're careful, on selling Emma's goat milk and cheese and the small apothecary business Mrs. Overland runs for the people in the Seam. Jamie will get her the herbs she doesn't grow herself, but she must be very caqreful to describe them because he's not as familiar with them as Jack was. He'll also bring them game-he and Jack made a pact about this a year or so ago-and will probably not ask for compensation but they should thank him with some kind of trade, like milk or medicine.

He didn't bother suggesting Emma learn to hunt. Jack tried to teach her a couple of times and it was disastrous. The woods terrified her and whenever he shot something she'd get teary and talk about how they might be able to heal it if they got it home soon enough. But she makes out well with her goat, so he concentrated on that.

When he was done with instruction about fuel, and trading and staying in school, Jack turn to his mother and grip her arm, hard. "Listen to me. Are you listening to me?" Mrs. Overland nods, alarmed by the intensity. "You can't leave again." He said.

Mrs. Overland's eyes find the floor. "I know. I won't. I couldn't help what-"

"Well, you have to help it this time. You can't clock out and leave Emma on her own. There's no me now to keep you both alive. It doesn't matter what happens. Whatever you see on the screen. You have to promise me you'll fight through it!" Jack's voice risen to a shout. In it is all the anger, all the fear he felt at her abandonment.

She pulls her arm from my grasp, moved to anger herself now. "I was ill. I could have treated myself if I'd had the medicine I have now."

That part about her being ill might be true. Jack have seen her bring back people suffering from immobilizing sadness since. Perhaps it is a sickness But it's one they can't afford.

"Then take it. And take care of her!"

"It'll be all right, Jack." Said Emma, clasping his face in her hands. "But you have to take care, too. You're so skilled and brave. Maybe you can win."

"Maybe," Jack said, because he can hardly tell his mother to carry on if he'd already given up himself. Besides, it isn't in his nature to go down without a fight. Oh, there'll be people like him, too. _People to weed out before the real fun begins. _"Then we'd be rich as Aster."

"I don't care if we're rich. I just want you to come home. You will try, won't you? Really, really try?" Asks Emma.

"Really, really try. I swear it, believe me." He said. And he knows because of Emma he'll have to.

And then the Guardians is at the door signaling their time is up, and they're all hugging one another so hard ot hurts and all Jack was saying is, "I love you. I love you both." And they're saying it back and then the Guardians orders them out and the door closes. Jack flomps down on the velvet pillows as if this can block the whole thing out.

Someone else enters the room, and when Jack looks up, he's surprise to see one of the Haddock kids, Hamish's cousin-brother. For the life of him, Jack could not figure out why he came to see him. After all, the Overland boy would be trying to kill his brother soon. Of course, he was gonna avoid being the one to kill off Hamish as much as possible. So many reasons for Jack to not want that. Snoutlout crosses his arms, glaring at him. He's a buff, broad shouldered man with burn scars from years at the ovens and blacksmithing tools for mining. The whole Haddock boys had it.

"Take care of Hiccup."

Jack blinked rapidly at the request. "Uhm, huh? Who?" He tilted his head. _Who was the boy talking about? Who was Hiccup?_

"My brother."

"Oh okay... Wait what?" He asked in shock. Didn't this guy know the rules of the games? And he just promised to Emma to win...

Snoutlout huffed irritatedly. "Look, I know as much as anyone that Hiccup is probably the last person to win this thing. But do not let him go down without a fight! Or let him die a gruesome death, kill him yourself if you have to... Okay, maybe not that." He took it back. "If you did, I'd kill you myself even if you did make it back."

"Erm," Jack coughed. "wasn't planning to..."

Snoutlout sighed deeply. "I should've volunteered for him when I had the chance..." He shook his head. "This is my fault... Hiccup shouldn't have to go through this... It's my fault..."

It was a bad promise to make. The worse. Because things like promises are made to be as broken as the world is. But Jack couldn't help it. "I'll look after him." And he meant it. This was his chance of repaying the favor.

Snoutlout blinks at him, then turned his expression hard. "I'll hold you to that." Then just like that, he leaves.

Finally, Jamie is here and though they both know there will be nothing between them more than just a friendship-brotherly connection, when the brunette held his arms out Jack didn't hesitate to give him a embrace. There were no feelings that exceeded brotherly affection and they both knew it.

"Listen," He said. "Getting a knife should be pretty easy, but you've got to get your hands on a spear. That's your best adept."

"They don't always have spears," Jack said, thinking of the year there were only horribly spiked maces that the Lights had to bludgeon one another to death with.

"Then make one," Jamie counters. "Even a weak spear is better than no spear at all."

Jack had tried copying his father's spears with poor results. It's not that easy. Even he had to scrap his own work sometimes.

"I don't know if there'll be wood." Jack said. Another year, they tossed everybody into a landscape of nothing but boulders and sand and scruffy bushes. He particularly hated that year. Many contestants were bitten by venomous snakes or went insane from thirst.

"There's almost always some woods," The brunette pointed out. "Since that year half of them died of cold. Not much entertainment in that."

It's true. One Nightmare Games spent watching players freeze to death at night. They could hardly see them because they were just huddled up in balls and had no wood for fires or torches or anything. It was considered very anticlimatic in Berk, all those quiet, bloodless deaths. Since then, there's usually been wood to make fires.

"Yes, there's usually some."

"Jack, it's just hunting. You're the best hunter I know."

"It's not just hunting. They're armed. They think."

"So do you. And you've had more practice. Real practice. You know how to kill."

"Not people,"

"How different can it be really? They'll be trying to kill you just as much as any lynx or bear does. But you never had problems taking them down."

The awful thing is that if Jack can forget they're people, it will be no different at all.

Jamie gave his best friend a long look and sighed deeply. "And Jack?" He gave Jack such a serious look, the boy was curious as to why. "I'm so sorry about Hamish."

Jack blinked rapily once more. "Huh?"

"C'mon, I've seen how you look at him." Jamie rolled his eyes. "You obviously like him. It must suck, huh? First time you actually have a chance to speak to the guy, and it had to be because of this."

"Yeah, it freakin' sucks." Jack groaned. No point in hiding it, Jamie could read him like a book. "Like hell."

"Just another reason to despise the Nightmare Games."

The Guardians are back too soon and Jamie asks for more time but they're taking him away and Jack starts to panic. "Don't let them starve!"

"I won't! You know I won't! And Jack, win! Just win with all you've got, swear to it!"

And then he was gone, leaving Jack with another promise that he might not keep, whether he liked it or not.

~o~

"Hamish, you have to try and come home." Val pleaded desperately then shook her head. "No, you don't try. You must, come home and I'll bake your home-coming cake myself! You're smart and fast, and you'll get sponsors! What's not to like about you?"

_I can't win... _Val must know that in her heart. The competition will be far beyond his abilities. Kids from wealthier districts, where winning is a huge honor, who've been trained their whole lives for this. Boys who are four to five times his size. Girls who know twenty ways to kill with a knife. "What does sponsors have to do with this?" Hiccup ignored her pleas. He wasn't about to make broken promises or dampen up her hopes.

Before Val or Stoick could answer, Guardians comes and they had to give their final good-byes. Val gave him a quick embrace and kissed his forehead, cheeks, and all that. She was completely drained from crying and her tears run out. Stoick grasped his son's shoulders and squeezed them affectionately.

"If I could only take your place..."

"I know dad," Hiccup swallowed, getting emotional once more and teared up, because his father never openly expressed his love. And it had to be when he was at death's door. "I know. I love you both..."

Then they were ushered-more like dragged-out. Hiccup cried for a full minute.

Hiccup's next guest is unexpected. Heather walks straight to him, who beamed when he saw Toothless in her arms. She rushed back to the Seam as soon as Hiccup was called, somehow avoiding detection, and went to get the pet. The cat immediately jumped to Hiccup's arms, purring and getting comfortable Hiccup figured he'll have more difficulty parting with him more than he thought.

As if reading his thought, Heather said, "You can take him with you."

"What? You're kidding. That's not funny."

"No. Seriously." Heather smirked. "Guess the rumors are true, about you not really watching the games. If there were any, you can take a pet with you, of course you'll decide whether or not you'd take them to the arena with you or have them brought home when it's time to enter the field. And one other thing," Then there's an urgency in her tone that surprises Hiccup. "They let you wear one thing from your district to the arena. One thing to remind you of home. Will you wear this?" She holds out the circular onyx pin that was on her dress earlier. Hiccup hadn't paid much attention to it earier, but now he sees that while the center piece was a dragon head, the circular borders formed the circle like wings.

"Your pin?" Hiccup blinked. Wearing a token from his district is about the last thing on his mind. Ways he could die in the arena comes second after his family's pain of watching him humiliate their name in live TV.

"Here, I'll put it on your vest, all right?" Heather doesn't wait for an answer, she just leans in and fixes the dragon on the fur vest. "Promise you'll wear it into the arena, Hiccup," she pleaded. "Promise?"

Hiccup couldn't understand the request, but it was a promise he could manage. "Yes. Thanks, Heather." He offered a lopsided smile Heather gives him more. A kiss on the cheek. Then she made to leave, giving one more look to the blushing boy more from fluster than anything else.

"And somehow, I think you'd have an edge if Toothless did come with you in the arena. He kept you alive this long in your hunts," Heather smiled and HIccup thinks that maybe she was his friend all along. "It was never just Snoutlout."

"Ahem."

Heather looked out and saw the said person in front of her.

"You want to kill off the cat too?"

"h like you were ever really fond of him," Heather rolled her eyes before leaving. Snoutlout went in. Hiccup approached him awkwardly.

"Uhm, look Snoutlout, I-"

Snoutlout held him off. "Ba-ba-blah,I don't want to get mushy here. You got the cat for that," He countered. "Just... Fight hard, Hiccup."

"I never even _fought_, you tell me how I can even fight hard."

Snoutlout grasped his shoulders and shook him hard. "I'M NOT LOSING A FAMILY AGAIN!" He screamed at the boy with the cat still in his arms, who was more than just surprised that even his brother could be affectionate. "If you die, you die. If you fight, you could win. You have to try! Try, for all those times I watched your back at the woods!"

Hiccup might have given a snarky remark, he could have teased his brother for being emotional. He could've clarified that Toothless was the one who watched his back. But he didn't.

"Thank you, Snoutlout."

The beefier teen moved back to the door. "See you soon, bro." He rushed away.

Hiccup blinked, since this was the first time Snoutlout ever acknowledge them being brothers. He had to smile. He looked down to Toothless, who cocked his head in wonder. Hiccup chuckled. "Guess this day isn't so bad after all..."

**A/N: I actually liked how this turned out. So sometimes Jack plays Peeta and Hiccup plays Katniss. But in general, they are who I say they are in the first chapter's casting. I really have no idea what age Hiccup is in Httyd2. So let's just think for this story, Jack's height is an average for his age (17 by the way) and Hiccup being sixteen is smaller than Jack or even Jamie had been at that age.**


	3. The Trip to Berk

**A/N: Okay. So just to clarify, Hiccup is sixteen years old. Jack is seventeen years old. With height, lets say Hiccup is about as tall to reach Jack's shoulders. I suggest you read the actual Hunger Games Trilogy. It's awesome. Just note that it's narrated by Katniss.**

**Astrid - Johanna Mason (only mentioned. Not debut)**

**Sophie - Rory (I forgot to put her in the first mention when she was mentioned.)**

**Claude and Caleb - Gale's brothers (^same excuse)**

**The Trip to Berk**

_**Hiccup blinked, since this was the first time Snoutlout ever acknowledge them being brothers. He had to smile. He looked down to Toothless, who cocked his head in wonder. Hiccup chuckled.**_

_**"Guess this day isn't so bad after all..."**_

**:::::**

It's a short ride from the Justice building to the train. Two vehicles rode in convoy. Neither of the boys have ever been in a car before. Rarely even rode wagons. In the Seam or Merchant division of class, people usually travel on foot at District 12.

Jack have been right not to cry. The station is swarming with reporters with their insectlike camera trained directly on his face. But he have had a lot of practice at wiping his face clean of emotion to people he didn't want to show them to. Which was almost everyone. So he does this now. Jack catches a glimpse of himself on the television screen on the wall that's airing his arrival live and felt gratified that he appeared almost bored.

Hiccup comes out of the car behind the one Jack was in, Toothless resting in his arms. The brunette, on the other hand, has obviously been crying and interestingly enough does not seem to be trying to cover it up. On one hand, Jack wanted to see if he could do anything to comfort him. On the other, he wondered if this will be his strategy in the Games. To appear weak and frightened, to reassure the other Lights that he is no competition at all, and then come out fighting. This worked very well for a girl, Astrid Hofferson, from District 7, a few years back. She seemed like such a sniveling, cowardly fool, and just looked pretty for the camera that no one bothered about her until there were only a handful of contestants left. It turned out she could kill viciously and toss an axe with accuracy. Pretty clever, the way she played it. Although, even if Jack didn't know Hiccup well, he had a feeling that the Haddock boy wasn't like that. He seemed... much too pure for that, if the kindness from before was any hint. And Jack finally understood what Snoutlout meant about him and that he shouldn't have to go through to this; Not thinking in a mean way, Jack saw that Hiccup didn't need to fake being weak at all. He probably wasn't confident of himself. Hiccup was kind, Jack couldn't see him murdering people, and he definitely didn't want to see the boy murdered himself. But he'll be seen as an easy target, and Jack couldn't do much about that, and it frustrated him. It practically killed him now as he watched the adorable object of his affections cuddling the cat close to him in comfort, and in a way that Jack had to be bribed if he was ever going to do that to Buttercup. The brunette couldn't kill an animal, never mind humans, and that made Jack feel dirty and thought he wouldn't deserve Hiccup even if he spent the rest of his life washing his hands clean.

They have to stand for a few minutes in the doorway of the train while the cameras gobble up their images, then they're allowed inside and the doors close mercifully behind them. The train begins to move at once.

The speed initially takes their breaths away. Of course, they've never been in trains, as travel between the districts is forbidden except for officially sanctioned duties. For District 12, that's mainly transporting ice. But this is no ordinary train. It's one of the high-speed Berk models that average 250 miles per hour. The journey to Berk will take less than a day.

In school, they're told that Berk was built in a place called Arendeile. District 12 was in a region by the North mountain. Of course, with the fences, no one really saw the mountain. Even hundreds of years ago, they scavenged for ice. Somehow, Berk needed them for something called Air-condition.

Somehow it all comes back to ice at school. Besides basic reading and math most of their instruction is ice-related. Except for the weekly lecture on the history of Burgess. It's mostly a lot of blather about what the people owe Berk. Hiccup knows there must be more than what they're telling them, an actual account of what happened during the the rebellion. But there was no way of knowing what it was, so he never got to satisfy his curiousity. And Jack doesn't really spend his time thinking about it. Whatever the truth is, he didn't see how it would help him get food on the table.

The Light train is fancier than even the rooms in the Justice building. The boys were each given their own chambers that had a bedroom, a dressing area, and a private bathroom with hold and cold running water.

There are drawers filled with fine clothes and Tooth tells the boys to do anything they want, wear anything they want, everything was at their disposal. Granted, they had their own chambers, but their rooms were connected by a single sliding door, since they were both guys nobody saw it as a problem. If they all knew about Jack.

"Just be ready for supper in an hour." She chirps before leaving the room.

Jack and Hiccup stood stiffly, unsure what to do next with the unfamiliarity of it all. Oh how badly did the albino wanted to say something, anything! But he was thinking of the best way to leave a good impression, despite the situation of the games. Apparentley, Hiccup didn't care much for leaving an impression for their first words to each other since the bread incident.

"Uhm, I'll take the other room then? It looks smaller, and I kinda preferred things that way." Hiccup rubbed the back of his head. "Unless you want it?"

Jack made a good impression of a dead cod fish by staring at him blankly as response, observing how the brunette's locks bounced when he made the slightest movement.

"I'll take that as a no. See you at supper, I guess." Hiccup gave the white haired teen a confused look before leaving. "That was awkward."

Jack mentally slapped himself. "Nice going, idiot."

"Excuse me?" The brunette boy re-opened the door, raising a brow.

Jack blushed heatedly. "N-not you. Me."

"Right. Sure it was."

~o~

Hiccup peeled off his fur vest, pulled off his fur boots and green long-sleeved sweatshirt to take a hot shower. He never had a hot shower before. _It's like being in a summer rain... _Despite the snow that remains in summer, it was warm enough that it rains instead of snowing. It rarely rains at other seasons like spring and autumn, but it still does, when it wasn't cold enough. _Gods, this feels good... _

Hiccup redresses in a long-sleeved V-neck with brown cuffs on the ends of each sleeves. Still green, only darker. And he pulls on some pants. The boy saw his pet digging through his clothes that he took off earlier. At the last minute, he remembered Heather's little onyx pin. He picked it up from his vest as Toothless was nuzzling it longingly. For the first time, Hiccup got a good look at it. The dragon head had pointed ears, not horns. There were two green, tiny emeralds that paralleled each other that made the eyes. Hiccup knew the dragon and figured the onyx color of the pin wasn't randomnly picked. It was a Nightfury. Hiccup managed to find a very old book about Dragons. They still existed, but for some reasons, they no longer flied. There was a rumor that Berk did it. And although Hiccup didn't doubt it, he wasn't about to blame everything all on Berk. It didn't seem fair to him, even though he wasn't much of a fan of Berk as the other guy. It would be his dying place. Nightfuries are something of a slap in the face to Berk. During the rebellion, Berk bred Dragons as means of travel and to easily burn down their enemies' fort, smaller ones used as carriers of messages when communication technology was down or out of reach, some spies and trackers of the hideouts of the said rebels. Then, the Nightfury freed its Dragon brethrens, because the Dragons are meant to be free. In which after the Dragons made a rebellion of their own and turned against Berk. It gave the rebels time to plan an offensive even if they still lost the war in the end. Berk thereafter took the wings off any Dragon kind they can find that went against them except the monstrous Nightmare that's loyal to the President's family. Yet, they were very unable to capture the Nightfury that was too fast for them to catch.

Hiccup was particularly fond of the Nightfury. It was free, no one could catch him, no one could contain him, and that was what it wanted for all Dragons. Hiccup learned that Dragons aren't violent in nature, only when threatened. It said so in the book. Not that he ever encountered on to test it out, but he believed it. Just like the Nightfury, he wanted freedom. He wanted that for humanity. But unlike it, he wasn't sure how to do that, let alone if he even could. Then again, there wasn't much he could do when he was about to die.

Hiccup smiled at Toothless, showing it to him. "Looks like you, huh bud?"

The green-eyed cat just tilted his head and meowed.

Hiccup heard Tooth's voice from the other room to collect them for supper. The brunette picked up his clothes and dump them on the bed before heading to the door, his eyes on Toothless who was on his heels. "I hope they have some fish for you." He was about to slide the door open when it opened itself, and he was face to face with Jack.

Close enough that they could have brushed lips.

Jack yelped, jumping back and blushing heatedly. "I-I-Sorry, just-Tooth's here to get us for supper." He explained, pulling on his new clothes. A blue hoodie and tight brown jeans. He didn't wear shoes, though. "Just wanted to tell you."

"Uhm, yeah. I heard, so..." Hiccup rubbed his right foot with the tip of the other, fidgeting. He cleared his throat to alleviate the awkwardness. "Thanks anyway, uhm, yeah. Let's go."

~o~

The boys follow Tooth through the narrow, rocking corridor into a dining room with polished paneled walls. There's a table where all dishes are highly breakable. Jack watched every Nightmare Games, and remembered this one time when a Light pulled a chair for Tooth to sit. So he does the same. That Light never made it back, but he made it far for his manners, because it earned him some good sponsors. And that was something. Jack pulled a chair for Hiccup too, he grinned at the boy to make it look like it was just for the fun of it. But he really wanted the boy to go for it, he could at least feel like they were a couple. Hiccup just raised a brow, and looked over to Tooth, who was giggling in amusement. "There are no cameras to tape this, are there?" He asked. Tooth smirked, shaking her head. The brunette sighed and gave Jack a deadpanned look who still waited. "Fine, only cause there's no cameras. You do this when cameras are rolling, I'll at least try to kill you in there." Hiccup smirked, just to let him know there was no real heat in it. Hiccup sat down, with Jack pushing the chair in for the boy, and Hiccup even pulled the albino's chair out, the one beside him, which for that Jack had no complains. He made a point to bump knees with Hiccup_ accidentally _every now and then. Hiccup didn't seemed fazed, although the cat kept giving him funny looks. Jack chalked it up that cats were suspicous of him in general.

The supper comes in courses. A thick carrot soup, green salad, lamb chops and mashed potatos, cheese and fruit, a chocolate cake. Throughout the meal, Tooth keeps reminding them to save space because there's more to come. But they kept stuffing themselves because they've never had food like this, so good and so much, and because the best thing they can do between now and the Games, especially Hiccup, is put on a few pounds. At one point, Toothless climbed over the table when a huge salmon with melted butter spread over was served, and practically devoured it before Hiccup finally managed to pull him off. Hiccup blushed, Jack stared to remember the cute image for the next few hours before he sleeps and maybe even when he sleeps, and the brunette apologized to Tooth. Who wasn't fazed at all, but was simply gushing at the cat's cuteness.

Now that the meal was over, they boys were fighting to keep the food down. Jack can see Hiccup looking a little green like his shirt. Neither of their stomachs is used to such rich fare. But if Jack can hold Gothi's concoction of mice meat, pig entrails, and tree bark-a winter specialty-and Hiccup can handle eating raw fish from Toothless who threw it up first and had him chew and swallow a bite from the first time he fed him when Val brought it home, then they were determined to hang on to this.

Tooth was being cuddling with the cat before finally handing it back to Hiccup.

"Oh, your cat is just as adorable as you, Hiccup." Tooth smiled warmly. Hiccup had to smile in response. Jack had to agree with that... The part of Hiccup being adorable, Buttercup totally ruined him for ever liking cats. Granted, he thought the jet-black cat was better looking. But seeing as it was Hiccup's cat, maybe it was a bias opinion. "I'm glad you took him with you. It's good to have company from home,"

Jack slumped vaguely at that. _What am I, chopped liver?_

"Thanks Ms. Toothiana..."

"Oh, just call me Tooth,"

"Right..."

They were now in another compartment to watch the recap of the reapings across Burgess. They try to stagger them throughout the day so a person could conceivably watch the whole thing live but only people in Berk could really do that, since none of them attend reapings themselves. Usually, Hiccup would just draw and skipped through this but he didn't have papers now. Or even something to draw with. So he just kept Toothless close, stroking his fur to calm down for the next hour.

One by one, the other reapings are shown, the names called, the volunteers stepping forward or, more often, not. The boys examine the faces of the kids who will be their competition. A few stands out. A monstrous boy who lunges forward to volunteer from District 2. A tiger-faced girl with her red-hair with black streaks bunned up in two over her head from District 5. A boy with a bad arm, like it was in a sling and all from District 10. And most hauntingly for Jack, a twelve year old girl from District 11. She had vanilla-white skin, dark black hair in a ponytail and a bunch of colorful hairclips scattered about, and yellow-green eyes. Very like Emma in size and demeanor. Only when she mounts the stage and they ask for volunteers, all you can hear is the wind whistling through the decrepit buildings around her. There's no one willing to take her place.

Last of all, they show District 12. Aster coming in late. Tooth picking off the names. Emma being called, Jack running forward to volunteer. No one can miss the desperation in his voice as he shoves Emma behind him, as if he was afraid no one will hear and they'll take Emma away. But of course they do hear. Jack sees Jamie pulling Emma off him and watches himself mount the stage. The commentators are not sure what to say about the crowd's refusal to applaud. The silent salute. One says that District 12 has always been a bit backward but that local customs can be charming. Then comes Aster and his accusing stunt. Hiccup being called. No volunteers. The handshake. Then they cut to the anthem again. Snoutlout volunteering too late and the program ends. The albino and The brunette were pretty stiff at that point.

"They're a bit off, but still right, I guess."

Jack looked at Hiccup. "What, who?"

"You know, the charming part." Hiccup offered a small smile that literally killed Jack. As in, his heart stopped. "But I'd say gallant, since this is pertaining to what you did for your sister. That was... Cool of you." That drove the albino completely crazy. Inwardly.

Jack tried to make a joke out of it. "Well, my friends do call me Jack Frost. Guess that explains it." He sort of lied. More like a _best friend_, than _friends._

"You're a kidder, aren't you?" Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Seriously, I was impressed-Erm, sorry, that came out wrong... Not like you were trying to impress anyone of course, it was for your sister entirely and-" He was rambling on now. "Still. Yeah, impressive... Not a lot would have done that selflessly."

Jack smiled softly. "Thanks... And for the record, Snoutlout tell me he wished he could've. It was the thought. He must care a lot about you, too."

"Wait, what?" Hiccup stared at him. "Who told you what? When?"

"Your brother told me he wished he volunteered for you. You heard him yell before we went in the Justice building right?" Jack raised a brow. "And he visited me..." He hesitated to tell him about the part of being asked to take care of Hiccup personally. It might come out wrong and the brunette might have lower self-esteem than ever. Jack was trying to think of a way to do the opposite. "He wanted you to try real hard for him."

Hiccup blinked rapidly. "Wow. Guess that was why he was late..." The brunette looked into Jack's eyes, and was captivated by its likeness to winter. He blushed and shook his head, trying to change topic. "Uhm, so, where's Aster? He's our mentor or something, right?" He dropped Toothless and let him curl up on his feet to a nap.

Jack shrugged, hoping to get into a conversation with him. A casual one. "Last I saw him, he said he was going to take a nap," He said.

"That, or he's just late. I believe either." Hiccup said easily. "He was never one to care about being on time."

Jack snorted. "Or anything for that matter. He's probably painting eggs off again. He's obssess with them, I keep wondering if he painted anyone to death." The two laughed about it, exchanging ideas about what Aster would be doing aside from painting eggs.

Tooth frowned. "But it's sad that he doesn't care about anything at all, isn't it? Not very good, televised or not, he should at least care enough to be on time on important things. It's like he doesn't live anymore. So indifferent, only caring enough to eggs that aren't alive." She said.

"He's always like that." Hiccup shrugged. "Every year."

"Every day." Jack added. He can't hlp smirking a little. Tooth makes it sound like Aster just has a somewhat under-emotional problem and could be corrected with a few tips.

Tooth sighed. "Yes, how odd you two find it amusing. You know your mentor is your lifeline to the world in these Games. The one who advises you, lines up your sponsors, and dictates the presentation of any gifts. Aster can well be the difference between your life and your death, I wished I had that place because I don't want even one of you sweeties to die." She sobbed.

Then.

"I missed supper, eh?" Aster hopped into the compartment, still painting an egg. He notices Tooth crying. "Hey. Buck up you sad sack, no point crying yet. No one's throat is slitted yet." He then dropped the egg and cursed in frustration. "Oh strewt! Now I need to start over a new one." He turned away and leftt just like that.

Tooth had nothing more to say. Her point was proven, so she just left the boys who no longer felt like laughing. They sat in silent, and the rain stopped for refueling.

**:::::**

Suddenly, everything came crashing down to Jack. He remembered his promises to Emma and Jamie, that he would try to come home with all he got. And although he wished he could keep his promise to Snoutlout, creating an even stronger attachment to the Haddock boy would only kill him inside all the more. Because he knows only one of them can make it back. Still, looking at Hiccup and seeing his fragile state, looking down to his feet, fist clenched on his lap, and sulking... It made the Overland boy want to protect him even more, because there was an instinct inside of Jack to protect those who couldn't do that for themself. He really didn't want to see Hiccup die, but years later, and on the off chance that he won the games, he'd end up mentoring and occasionally go through the recaps of his year when he was in the games. And he'll see how Hiccup died in it everytime.

For the first time, he let his hatred for Berk burn up inside him. Jamie always let it out every now and then at the woods, whilst Jack surpressed it, choosing to keep his head on the game... Literally.

"Bring me home,"

Jack snapped his head up, blinking at Hiccup. "What did you say?"

"Bring me home," Hiccup repeated lowly. "however I die in there, just make sure my body makes it back home, won't you? And maybe... Make sure my brother doesn't eat Toothless... Give it back to the Mayor's daughter, maybe..."

Jack frowned deeply. "You shouldn't count yourself out just yet."

"Really, I shouldn't?" Hiccup deadpanned. "So should I start counting you out? Because if it comes down between us, it's either you or me."

Jack had nothing to respond to that. It seemed that he just had to forget about Hiccup, the boy seemed to have given up already. He looked out the window behind him, and his resolve immediately vanished as it was made. He saw fallen autumn leaves land on a pile of snow. He only saw the image for a moment, because the train is off again. But it's enough. Enough to remind him of those other leaves in the school yard years as Jack had just turned from Hiccup Haddock's bruised face when he saw the leaves, and knew hope wasn't lost. He gathered the pile of leaves and hurried home to have them pressed against thick books from Mr. Overland's collections. And Jack would look at them at nights when he didn't get enough food or game and the like, and his spirits returned. The book he kept the leaves at were of pages of herbs with ink drawings. Neat handwritten blocks told their names, where to gather them, when they came in bloom, their medical uses. Plants for eating, not healing. Dandelions, pokeweed, wild onions, pines. Things Jack would never know if the preservation of the leaves didn't make him open them. And it was another thing that help keep him and his family alive... Another thing Hiccup helped kept him alive for.

The first time Jack went to the woods to gather, he took the time to collect the spear Mr. Overland always used and kept hidden whenever he hunted. As remembrance to his father, Jack never replaced the hiding place. He manage to kill a rabbit on his first time thanks to his father's teachings when he was still alive. They hadn't had meat for months. The sight of the rabbit stirred someting in Mrs. Overland. She roused herself and skinned the carcass and made stew with the meat and some more greens Jack gathered. Then she acted confuse and went back to bed, but when the stew was done, the kids made her eat a bowl.

The woods became their savior. Each day, Jack went farther into them. It was slow-going at first, but he was determined to feed his family. He stole eggs from nests, caught fish in nets, sometimes manage to pin down a squirrel or rqbbit for stew, and gathered various pllants that sprung up beneath his feet. Gathering was never his favorite task, he wasn't one to remember these things easily, many are edible; one false mouthful however can kill, so he forced himself to remember ones that could be fatal or crucial to survival.

On September 12th, Jack went to the Justice building, signed up for his tesserae, and pulled home the first patch of grain and oil in Emma's toy wagon. He never stopped hunting and gathering, the grain was not enough to live on. And there were other things to buy, soap and milk and thread. So he finally started to trade at the hob. People respected him, accepted him. A boy who fought for survival, Mr. Overland's boy.

Things got better, thanks to that hope. Slowly, Mrs. Overland returned to them. She began to clean and cook and preserve some of the food Jack brought in for winter. People traded them or paid money for her medical remedies. One day, they even heard her sing. Emma was thrilled to have her back. Jack felt nothing. He was glad, however, that he somewhat right things with them before he left. Emma would undoubtedly sleep with their mother tonight. The thought of the scruffy old Buttercup posting himself on the bed to watch over Emma comforts him. If she cries he will nose his way into her arms and curl up there until she calms down and fall asleep, Jack was happy he didn't drown him now. Jack's heart ache that he could never, ever return the favor for that hope Hiccup gave that started the chain of change and moving forward. But he wanted to try. If he sees Hiccup die, it will be more painful if he knew he didn't try.

"Well, I guess we should both just give it all we got then-" The Overland boy turned his head, only to see Hiccup making his way to the door already, Toothless on his heels.

Hiccup stopped for a moment."Sure... But I'm not gonna hold my breath."

~o~

The lights were closed in the room and Hiccup left it that way. He stumbled a bit in the dark and curse before he finally made out the outline of his bed. He just wanted to sleep now. It was a very emotional day, it was too much.

_Why did he have to seem like such a nice guy? Gods, _Hiccup thinks a he flomped down the bed, thinking about Jack. The reassuring squeeze, making sure Hiccup went out for supper, pulling out the chair, making easy and willing conversations with him on Aster's expense... His attempts to encourage him to not give up easily. It was futile attempts, but the thought of it... He made it more difficult. _I guess we really could've been friends, if that circumstances weren't what they were. _Then again, they only finally got to talking because of this. Hiccup sighed, and curled up. Not surprise to see Toothless already settled in, and somehow the feline got to bring his fur vest up the bed with him. Hiccup wrapped the garment around the cat, pulling over his own sheets up. They both sleep as the train rock them in oblivion.

**:::::**

Gray light is leaking through the curtains when the rapping rouses Hiccup. He hears Tooth's voice calling him to rise. "Sorry, sorry, sorry dear. But it's going to be a big day, you shouldn't miss breakfast." She called sweetly, Hiccup didn't feel the need to whine.

He puts the fur vest back since it's not really dirty, just slightly crumpled from being used as Toothless's cover. His fingers trace the circle around the little onyx Nightfury and he thinks of Heather, therefore, District 12, his family waking up, having to get on with things. He unconciously tugged on the small braid his mother did on him for the reaping yesterday on the very side of his hair. It was barely noticeable at all, but he kept it on to remember Val and the feel of her fingers. They can't be far from Berk now.

As Hiccup enters the dining car, Tooth goes to a chair. Aster is painting an egg while eating a carrot cake. Jack holds a roll and looks somewhat embarrased.

"Sit down! Sit down!" Aster said, waving Hiccup over. The moment he slides into his chair, beside Jack once more, he's serve an enormous platter of food. Eggs, ham, piles of fried potatoes. A tureen of fruits sits in ice to keep it chilled. The basket of rolls sets before him would keep any family going for a week. He was particularly thinking of Jack's family, probably cause said boy was beside him. Suddenly, there's a cup of hot liquid held in front of him. Hiccup turns his head and sees Jack smiling at him.

_"_They call it Eggnog," said Jack. "Aster's said its good. He's not lying."

Hiccup takes a sip of the hot, creamy liquid and a shudder runs through him. Even though the rest of the meal beckons, he ignored it until he has drained the cup. Then he stuff down every mouthful he can hold, which is a substantial amount being careful to not overdo it on the richest stuff. When Hiccup's stomach feels like it's about tosplit open, he leans back and take in his breakfasty. Jack is still eating, breaking off bits of roll and dipping them in the eggnog. Aster hasn't paid much attention to his platter, just kept painting and painting. Tooth kept telling him to eat, however. Hiccup remembered when he was in the Hob, trading off some fishes he caught, he saw Aster tossing handfuls of money on the counter of the woman who sells eggs. Jack detested Aster as he watched him paint. He thinks it's no wonder the District 12 Lights never stood a chance. It isn't just that they've been underfed and lacked training. Some Lights have still been strong enough to make a go of it. But they rarely get sponsors and he's a big part of the reason why. The rich people who back Lights-either because they're betting on them or simply for the bragging rights of picking a winner-expect someone sociable than Aster to deal with.

"So, you're supposed to give us some advice," Jack said to Aster gruffly. Hiccup looked between the white haired teen to their mentor. "So tip us off."

"Here's a tip for ya, stay alive." Said Aster, with a careless shrug. He holds out the egg he painted out to see it clearer in the light, then resumes his work. Hiccup and Jack exchanges looks. Jack is surprised to see the hardness in Hiccup's eyes and his look of disbelief. He generally seemed mild.

Hiccup looked back at Aster. "That's very funny," he muttered. Sudenly, he lashes out at the egg at Aster's hand. It broke and the yolk splattered out on the floor. Tooth gasped, stunned. "Only not to us."

Aster considers this for a moment, then punches Hiccup in the jaw, knocking him from his chair and the boy lets out a cry of pain. Toothless hissed and lunged at the man in fury, but Aster dodged it easily and the cat landed on Tooth's lap. Jack's eyes widened and he saw red-figuratively and literally. The brunette's upper lip bled slightly, not to mention the bruised cheek. When the tall man makes to grab for a new egg, Jack drives his knife into the table between his fingers. He braces himself to deflect any retaliation but one never comes. Instead, Aster squints his eyes at them and sits back, much to Tooth's relief.

"Well, what's this?" said Aster. "Did Iactually get a pair of fighters this year?"

Jack scowled, ignoring the man as he helped Hiccup back to his chair gently. Hiccup stared at the taller boy in wonder as Jack scoops a handful of ice from under the fruit tureen, and didn't even seemed fazed by the freezing feeling. He held it against the brunette's cheek and wipes of the little blood, Hiccup's cheeks burns heatedly despite the ice.

"Crikey, don't do that." complains Aster, stopping the albino. Jack glared at the man who could careless. "Let the bruise show. The audience will think he got mixed up with another Light before he even made it to the arena."

"That's against the rules," Jack growled as Toothless came over and jumped to Hiccup's shoulder, and he even nuzzled Jack's shoulder for taking care of his master. "we can't have him disqualified and off to a early death." Hiccup blinked and was confused than ever. Oh, sure, he wasn't aware of the rules much so he took Jack's word for it. But that's not the confusing part. _Why in Odin's name did he care so much?_

"Only if they catch him. In which case they didn't since it's just us," They all looked at Tooth. She held up her hands.

"I'm not telling. Of course not. I love Hiccup," She promised. "Trust me, I'm in your side."

Hiccup can't help but smile at that as he hugged Toothless. Jack burned in jealousy that the woman get to say it to the boy easily. "Thanks Tooth." The brunette said.

Aster turned to Jack. "Can you hit anything better with that knife besides a table?" The Spear is his weapon, even Hiccup knew this. Still, Jack demonstrates for them that he can handle a knife well too and yanks the same knife he attempted to stab Aster's hand with off the table, get a grip on the blade, and then throw it into the wall across the room. Jack was actually just hoping to get a good solid stick, but it lodges in the seam between two panels making him look a lot better than he was. Hiccup swallowed, eyeing Jack nervously. The taller boy looked at him and offered a chagrined expression.

Jack spoke. "I'm not gonna do that to you,"

"Right. May Thor stuck you down if you go back on that." Hiccup deadpanned. But it did make him feel better. At least he could cross off being impaled by a knife by Jack from the list of how he could die. "You're pretty good with spears, too. So I've heard. Dad said you never miss a shot, killing off game without breaking their body too bad so we're still able to get out more meat from it." Jack blinked at having the knowledge Hiccup assessed his skills... Well, Hiccup's father, anyway. But Hiccup seemed to agree and it counted for something. He was elated. "He really is." The brunette told Aster.

Jack decided to give a little appraising himself. "Hiccup's smart."

"What?" Hiccup blinked at the turn of conversation.

"And quick," The Overland boy added. "I see him studying in the library a lot. He won a school scavenger hunt wherein the winner takes a basket of fruits, no one stood a chance. He's that clever. And I've heard that when his brother was sick, he managed to take care of the bakery all on his own while his father worked and his mther mostly tended to his brother; he managed to bake three dozens of breads and stil have time to craft some tools. Oh, his pretty good at smithing too."

Hiccup pouted at the assestment. "Yeah, some good that is." He snorted. "Like I can kill a person by maybe smart-talking them. Quick? Sure, I can run another Light miles till any Light trying to kill me drops dead in exhaustion assuming they don't give up, or I tire out first."

"You don't have to be sarcastic," Jack frowned. "I'm just saying you have as much chance as I do,"

"I HAVE NEXT TO NO CHANCE! So why not just impale me already?!"

They stared at each other heatedly. Aster rolled his eyes, Tooth pouted in concern. "Oh save the drama for the cameras, you gumbies. Now Hamish, was it?"

The fact that Aster remembered his name surprised Hiccup enough that his anger gave way. "Hiccup is fine," He said.

"Got it. Don't count yourself short, kid. Being clever gets a lot of Lights far, there were a couple Victors who won by using their wits instead of simply fighting everyone off. With smithing, well, there's no forge in the arena, but knowledge on crafts will help a lot. And it's sometimes the best plan of action to be evasive. You've got an edge if your boyfriend here is right about you being quick."

Both boys turned an interesting shade of red. Tooth giggled. Toothless meowed and yawned, not knowing what the humans were talking about. If it wasn't about fish, he could careless.

"He's not my-"

"We're not-"

"I never even-"

"That's not even funny-"

Aster held his hands up. "Call it as I see it." He interrupted. "Now stand over here, both of you." Aster nodded to the middle of the room. The boys obeyed, and the man circled them, prodding them like animals at times, checking our muscles, and Hiccup was surprise Aster even found some in him. Then, the man examine their faces. "Well, you're not entirely hopeless. Seem fit. And once the stylists gets a hold of you lot, you'll be attractive enough. Maybe even get sponsors that way."

Jack doesn't question this. But Hiccup is a bit confused. "Why do we need stylists? I thought ths was a battle to the death, not a beauty contest." Eitherway, he still didn't stand a chance. Everyone in the room stared at the boy, dumbfounded. "And why on earth are sponsors so important?"

Jack narrowed his eyes at the boy. "You don't watch the Nightmare Games, do you?" He guessed. That was the only way Hiccup could be ignorant about these basics.

"No, I don't like seeing people kill each other off. So I just draw." Hiccup confirmed, and if possible, Jack found him more adorable, even considering the idea of the boy being an angel. Why else did such a pure person exist in this world

Tooth shrugged, looking at Aster's eyes twitching. "I can just teach him the rules later, while I give lessons on posture and whatnot." She offered.

"All right," Aster sighed. "I'll make a deal with both of you. You don't interfere with my egg painting, and I'll pay attention and care enough to help you," he bargained. "But you have to do exactly what I say." It's not much of a deal, but still a giant step forward from ten minutes ago when they had no guide at all. "And no more impaling my fingers, Snowflake." That was directed to Jack.

"What did you call me?!"

Hiccup had to laugh, and Jack immediately shut up any arguement or any profanities he was going to say. "Fine," He said. "So help us,"

"Yeah," Jack let out his questions. "When we get to the arena, what's the best strategy at the Cornucopia for someone-"

"One thing at a time," Aster halted. "In a few minutes we'll be pulling into the station. You'll be put in the hands of your stylists. You're not going to like what they do to you, I liked it as much as sleigh rides,"

"Sleigh rides?"

Aster continued, undettered. "But no matter what it is, don't resist. Especially you kid," He pointed at Hiccup. "Just go with it, I dont care if you don't know its importance. Just put up with it."

"But-" Hiccup begins.

"No buts, don't resist." Said Aster. He took some eggs to paint and leaves the car. Tooth follows saying she has things to prepare. As the door swings shut behind him, the car goes dark. There are still a few lights inside but outside it's as if night has fallen all ready. They were in the tunnel that runs up through the mountains into Berk. The mountains form a natural barrier between Berk and the eastern districts. It is almost impossible to enter from the east except through the tunnels. This geographical advantage was a major factor in the districts losing the war that led to the boys being Lights today. Since the rebels had to scale the ountans, they were easy targets for Berk's dragon plus air forces. The tunnel goes on and on and Jack thinks of the tons of rock separating him from the sky and his chest tightens. He hated being encased in stone this way, it reminded him of the mines and the thought of his father, trapped, unable to reach sunlight, buried or drowned forever in darkness. He'll never know.

The train finally begins to slow and suddenly bright light floods the compartment. They can't help it. Both Hiccup and Jack run to the window to see what was outside. Berk, the ruling city of Burgess. The cameras haven't lied about the grandeur. If anything, they haven't quite captured the magnificence of the glistening buildings in a rainbow of hues that tower into the air, the shiny cars that roll down the wide paved streets, the oddly dressed people with bizarre hair and painted faces who never missed a meal. All the colors are artificial. The pinks too deep. The greens too bright. The yellows to painful to the eyes. Like the flat round disks of hard candy Jack or Hicccup can never afford to buy at the tiny sweet shop in district 12.

The people begin to point at them eagerly, as they recognized a Light train rolling into the city. Jack was sickened at their excitement and turned away from the windows in disgust, knowing they can't wait to watch the Lights die. Hiccup turned around and slides down against the walls, hugging his knees as Toothless nuzzled him. He was sickened, but for a different reason from Jack's. He was frightened, if the shivering despite the heat of the train was any clue. Jack frowned, knowing the boy's fear. He was scared too but knew he had a chance if he tried hard enough, but Hiccup was a little less than confident.

Hiccup felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Jack kneeling before him. He frowned in confusion. _Why? Why is he making this so hard? _"Jackson, why-"

"Just Jack, please. It's fine, Hiccup."

Hiccup shook his head. "Jack," he granted. "if there was any victor for District twelve this year, it can only be one. Both of us aren't making it back together, and it counts for something that these are the only rules I know."

"Well," Jack smirked. "what if I told you I didn't care about rules?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, returning the smirk wearily. "Then I would say you're just as bad as Aster." He deadpanned.

Jack laughed at that. "I can live with that," He shrugged.

Not that both of them would be living that long.

**A/N: *That's the place from Frozen. Arendeile. Nothing major, just a reference. Okay, sorry to say this will be the last chapter for this story for awhile. Got to get back on my other priorites. Not a bad place to stop, though, I hope you guys think so. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU GUYS THINK. **


	4. The Frostbite

**A/N: I just have to say I'm loving this au lots. For me, Hunger Games seems to be one of the most compatible HiJack au ever, I love it. Tell me what you think of these castings. The () indications are for none Httyd and Rotg characters. Please tell me if you got the costume description. I'll really appreciate it.**

**Flynn (Tangled) - Venia**

**Monty - Flavius**

**Olaf (Frozen) - Octavia**

**Elsa (Frozen) - Cinna**

**Anna (Frozen) - Portia**

**Pitchner Black - President Snow**

**The Frostbite**

_**Hiccup shook his head, "Jack," He granted. "if there was any victor for District Twelve this year, it can only be one. Both of us aren't making it back together, and it counts for something that these are the only rules I know."**_

_**"Well," Jack smirked. "what if I told you I didn't care about rules?"**_

_**Hiccup rolled his eyes, returning the smirk wearily. "Then I would say you're just as bad as Aster," He deadpanned.**_

_**Jack laughed at that. "I can live with that," He shrugged.**_

_**Not that both of them would be living that long.**_

**:::::**

_R-i-i-i-p!_

Jack grits his teeth as Flynn, a man who gave him a ridiculous pout-like smile as if to flirt when the white-haired teen accidentally blurted out he was gay to when he kept pestering him whether he had a girlfriend or something that he can swoon if he never made it back (which was his initial and usual welcoming), yanks a strip of fabric from his leg, tearing the hair beneath it. Then proceeded to fix his nails, from his fingers and toes, practically plucking them off to be replaced almost instantly by Berk's instant cosmetics. Of course, instant doesn't mean not painful. It was more excruciating than holding dried ice or getting his skin teared when falling on ice. And Jack experienced both. "Sorry," Flynn pipes with a smirk, not very remorse as much as he makes out. "But they look practically dead! It's like you died in a frozen lake."

The Overland boy would've preferred that to this, actually. "Not a bad idea, do you guys have a lake nearby?" He grumbled and winced as the last toe nail was plucked... Then it was his next foot.

Flynn makes what's supposed to be a sympathetic face but it comes out amused. "Good news, though. This is the last one, ready?" Not waiting for an answer, he plucked all the toes out quickly yet perfectly while Jack resisted the urge to howl in pain. It would be pathetic that something like this could put him to so much pain and training hasn't even started yet.

He had been in the Remake Center for more than three hours and Jack still haven't met his stylist. Apparentley, she has no interest to see him until Flynn and the other members of his prep team have addressed some obvious problems. This has included scrubbing down his body down with a gritty foam that has removed not only dirt but at least three layer of skin, smoothening and whitening his nails from its dead, deformed structure while turning them to uniformed shapes, and primarily, ridding his body of hair. Jack's legs, arms, torso, and parts of his eyebrows have been stripped of the stuff, leaving him like a plucked bird, ready for roasting. He didn't like it. His skin tingling and intensly vulnerable. But he had kept his side of the bargain with Aster, and no objection has crossed his lips.

"You're doing very well," says some guy named Monty. He gives his sunny-mango locks a shake. "If there's one thing we can't stand, it's a whiner. Grease him down!"

Flynn and Olaf, a completely white-as in white hair, snow white skin and suit but yellowish nose, rubs Jack down with lotion that first stings but then soothes his raw skin. Then they pull him from the table, removing the thin robe he've been allowed to wear off and on. He stood there, completely nude except for a short towel around his waist down, as the three men circled him. Jack knew he should be embarrassed, but they're so unlike people especially the snowman-like Olaf that Jack was no more self-concious than if a trio of animals were pecking around his feet.

The three step back and admire their work. "Excellent, you almost look like a human being now!" Said Flynn.

Jack made a look. _You should see yourselves, _but he didn't say that outloud. He liked Monty and Olaf well enough not to make a snappy come back. Flynn was the only annoying one in his book. "Thanks," He muttered. "we don't have much cause to look nice in District Twelve," he said pointedly.

This wins them over completely. "Of course you don't, it's all right though." Monty encouraged.

"Yeah!" Says Olaf. "By the time Elsa is through with you, you're going to be just great! She's the nicest, most warmest person ever!" He said while moving back to reach for a brush when the pointed end of scissors pierced his overcoat. He looked at it and seemly smiled, "Oh look at that. I've been impaled." He said flippantly, pulling it out.

Jack had to laugh a bit. He would have thought Berk people were too caring when it came to clothes. Not Olaf, though. "Let's call Elsa," They give Jack final touches and dart out of the room. It's hard to completely for Jack to hate his prep team. They were charismatic. Jack looks at the white walls and floor and resisted the impulse to retrieve his robe. This Elsa, his stylist, will surely make him remove it once more anyway.

The door opens and a young woman who must be Elsa enters. Jack is taken aback by how normal yet more appealing she is than overdressed Berk people. Flynn was slightly normal looking too but too annoying and flirtatous to seem normal. Most of the stylists they interview on television are so dyed, stenciled, and surgically altered they're grotesque. But Elsa's carefully braided hair raised up slightly together in the back appears to be a natural shade of blond. She's in a fairly simple baby blue dress with long-sleeved and her hands were covered with gloves with a darker hue of blue. The only concession to self-alteration seems to be the longer than usual eye lashes. And despite Jack's disgust to Berk and their hideous fashions and that he preferred guys to girls, he can't help but think how attractive she looks. If she wasn't slightly older or if Hiccup didn't exist at all, the woman might've been capable of straightening him out.

"Hello Jackson, I'm Elsa, your stylist." She says in a polite, elegant voice somewhat lacking in Berk's affectations.

"Hey," Jack ventures cautiously.

"Just give me a moment, all right?" She asked. She walks around his partly naked body, not touching him, but taking in every inch of it with his eyes. Jack resisted the impulse to cover himself. "who did that to your hair?"

Jack raised his hand to the white strands. "I did," he admitted. "A little confusion with white dye and paint." _Will she turn it back to its real color? I think she could, but I don't want her to..._

"Nice touch, it does suit you." As if she heard his thoughts, she added. "so we won't change it back. It'll go well with what I have in mind." Elsa smiled.

Jack had expected someone flamboyant, someone older trying desperately to look young, someone who viewed Jack as a piece of meat to be prepared for a platter. Elsa has met none of these expectations.

"You're new, aren't you?" Jack concluded. "I don't think I've seen you before." Most of the stylists are familiar, constants in the ever-changing pool of Lights. Some have been around Jack's whole life.

"Yes, this is my first year at the Games."

"So they gave you District Twelve?"

Newcomers generally end up with Jack's district, the lest desirable district.

But Elsa surprises Jack. "I asked for District Twelve. I always liked Ice." She said and offered no more explanation than that. "why don t you put on your robe and we'll have a chat?"

Putting on his robe, Jack followed her through the door into a sitting room. Two red couches face off over a low table. Three walls are blank, the fourth is entirely glass, providing a window to the city. Jack can see by the light that it must be around noon, although the sunny sky has turned overcast. Elsa invited Jack to sit on one of the couches and takes her place across of him. She presses a button on the side of the table. The top splits and from below rises a second tabletop that holds their and chunks of oranges cooked in a creamy sauce laid on a bed of pearly white grain, tiny green peas and onions, rolls shaped like flowers, and for dessert, a pudding the color of honey. Jack tried to imagine assembling this meal himself back home. Chickens are too expensive, but he could make do with a wild turkey. Jack would need to shoot a second turkey to trade for an orange. _Goat's milk would have to substitute for cream._ They can grow peas in the garden. _I'd have to get wild onions from the woods._ Jack doesn t recognize the grain, their own tessera ration cooks down to an unattractive brown mush. Fancy rolls would mean another trade with the baker, perhaps for two or three squirrels. As for the pudding, Jack can't even guess what's in it. Days of hunting and gathering for this one meal and even then it would be a poor substitution for Berk's version.

_What must it be like_, Jack wondered, _to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button? _How would people like Jack spend the hours they now commit to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by? What do they do all day, these people in the Berk, besides decorating their bodies and waiting around for a new shipment of Lights to roll in and die for their entertainment?

Jack looks up and find Elsa's eyes trained on his. "How despicable we must seem to you," she says_._

Jack blinked. _Has she seen this in my face or somehow read my thoughts?_ She's right, though. The whole rotten lot of them is despicable, when he didn't count his prep team. Even Flynn seemed decent enough to say he was never really fond of styling people who would just die later. He said it rudely, but there was a hint of remorse in it that Jack didn't notice then.

"No matter," says Elsa. "So, Jackson,"

Jack interrupted her. "Just Jack is fine."

"Very well, then." Elsa smiled. "Jack about your costume for the opening ceremonies. My sister, Anna, is the stylist for your fellow Light, Hamish. And our current thought is to dress you in complementary costumes," says the silver blond stylist. "As you know, it's customary to reflect the flavor of the district. For the opening ceremonies, you're supposed to wear something that suggests your district's principal industry."

Jack indeed knew. District 11, agriculture. District 4, crafting. District 3, factories. This means that coming from District 12, Hiccup and Jack will be in some kind of ice scavenger's getup. Since the baggy scavenger baggy coats are not particularly becoming, their Lights usually end up in skimpy outfits and hoe with headlamps. One year, their Lights were forced to wear a bluish transparent cube that was suppose to represent an ice cube. It's always dreadful and does nothing to win favor with the crowd. Jack prepares himself for the worst.

"So, I'll be in a scavenger outfit?" He asked, hoping it won't be indecent.

Elsa scrunched her nose at the idea. "Not exactly. You see, Anna and I think that overcoat thing is very overdone. You might as well have brought your own suits all the way here if we went with that," Jack flushed, because he didn't have the uniform at all. "No one will remember you in that. And we both see it as our job to make the District Twelve Lights unforgettable," says the silver blond.

_I'll be naked for sure,_ Jack thinks.

"So rather than focus on the ice scavenging itself, we're going to focus on the ice,"

_Naked and covered in white powder,_ Jack concluded, grimacing.

"And what do we do with ice? We light it," Elsa smirked. "You've never seen or heard of laser light, have you Jack?" She sees Jack's expression and grins.

**:::::**

A few hours later, Jack dressed in what will either be the most sensational or the most freezing costume in the opening ceremonies. He's in a simple white tunic-like hoodie with actual ice that covers him. Not like the transparent bluish plastic. Actual solid ice adorned his outfit, how they managed it escaped him, from ankle to neck. Shiny ice-covered leather boots lace up to his knees. But it's the fluttering cape made of streams of white, gray, and blue and the matching headpiece with a crystal ice above it that defines this costume. Elsa plans to have a laser beam light directed to the centerpiece to cause a surprise. Jack didn't know the surprise, but based on his general knowledge of a laser, he had a feeling he would explode.

"It's not gonna hurt, of course, how are you holding up with the ice?" Elsa place her hand on her chin. "move for me,"

Jack gave her a look and stiffly albeit numbly raised his arms, as if to say, _You think this is easy?_ But he doesn't say anything, going through Aster's bargain. He needed cooperation from the mentor badly if he didn't freeze to death. He doubted this outfit would say much. What was the difference from the ice cube bit?

Jack's hair has been spiked out and shined with gel to make it look like icicles.

"I want the audience to recognize you when you're in the arena," says Elsa dreamily. "Jack, A.K.A, the living Frostbite."

It crosses Jack's mind that Elsa's calm and courteous demeanor masks a complete madman-well woman.

Before he can complain furthur, the white haired teen hears a familiar voice, Hiccup's, and he feels relieved. He turned around to where he heard the voice. Jack stopped and he forgets to breath when he sees the boy in his costume. Unlike Jack, he wasn't covered in ice. While Jack wore an outfit that reflected ice, Hiccup wore snow-white dress clothes. A turtleneck under garment, long sleeved gloves that covered his arms except his shoulders, slightly loose silk white pants, the focus of his costume large almost fluffy cloak with sparkling patterns adorning the end of the cape-like garment, green abstract triangles, orange dotted circles, and redish-yellow diamonds. Not too flashy and a bit vague but noticeable enough to see the colors. Hiccup's costume was a reflection of snow covering spring grass, summer's sand, and the white haired's personal favorite for many reasons, autumn leaves. Unlike other districts, theirs were known for having snow all year around. They didn't really have sand in summer, but it's the symbol. Hiccup was the weather of District 12. Jack saw that he had a device on the circle emerald holding his cloak together to across his shoulder blades, like Elsa told him the device was the laser beam for the presentation for which he had no idea what it even was. He only knew one thing.

Hiccup was going to face his body Jack's way the entire time.

~o~

Hiccup would be rubbing his skin from the treatment he received if he wasn't covered in ice. Most of his prep team wanted to get rid of his freckles, but his nicer stylist, Anna, said he looked adorable with them. He would complain, but he didn't want to go through any treatment that get rids of freckles. His stylist, Anna, and her team accompany him in, and everyone is absolutely giddy with excitement over what a surprise they'll make. Except Elsa. She remains poise and polite as she accepts congratulations.

Hiccup walked up to Jack, raising a brow at how odd he found the unblinking eyes of the ice look-alike. They were whisked down to the bottom level of the Remake Center, which is essentially a gigantic stable. The opening ceremonies are about to start. Pairs of Lights are being loaded into chariots pulled by teams of four horses. District 12's are snow white stallions. The animals are so well trained, no one even needs to guide their reins. Elsa and Anna direct them into the chariot and carefully arranged the boys' positions to face each other, making sure Hiccup's emerald was in the right angle for the surprise, whatever that is.

Hiccup noticed Jack trying to tone done his shivers and tried to distract him from shivering. "You cold?" He smirked snarkily. Okay not really.

"Wiseguy," He huffed, trying not to crack his voice or shudder. "you got it easy, don't have to be covered in ice the whole time." Jack complained. "your snow is not even real snow."

Hiccup smirked. "For the record, I think you'll attract the most attention between us. My outfit doesn't really say much as compared to yours. Plus the hair is really a statement." He pointed out.

"What are you talking about, you're completely attractive!" Jack blurted out, his eyes widening at the outburst. Hiccup raised a brow. "I-I mean I-It'll death by ice to me and I'll be a corpse, nothing attracting about that and you'll be a snowangel with your cloak looking like you're in a dress and-wait no I mean-" The boy fumbled with his words.

Hiccup held his hand up, "Okay Frostbite, stop talking. I think the ice is making its way to freezing you brain." He smirked.

"Frostbite?"

"Heard Elsa calling you that," The Haddock boy shrugged.

Jack seemed to accept that explanation. "So, what do you think?" He whispered to Hiccup.

"About the laser?" Hiccup shrugged. "I don't think it's the one that kills. Just lighting,"

"When does it lit?"

"I don't know when but Anna told me it'll come at the right moment. I still don't know what it'll do about presentation. But don't worry, I'll gather your bits and pieces if you explode."

"Jeez, thanks. I know we promised Aster we'd do exactly what they said, but I don t think he considered this angle."

"Where is Aster, anyway? Isn't he supposed to be here?"

Before more words were spoken, the opening music begins. It's easy to hear, blasted around Berk. Massive doors slide open revealing the crowd-lined streets. The ride lasts about twenty minutes and ends up at the City Circle, where they will welcome the Lights, play the anthem, and escort them into the Training Center, which will be their home/prison until the Games begin.

The Lights from District 1 ride out in a chariot pulled by their horses. They look so beautiful, spray-painted silver, in tasteful tunics glittering with jewels. District 1 makes luxury items for the Capitol. The roar of the crowd can be heard. They are always favorites.

District 2 gets into position to follow them. In no time at all, Hiccup and Jack are approaching the door and Hiccup can see that between the overcast sky and evening hour the light is turning gray. The Lights from District 11 are just rolling out when Anna appears and says to both of them.

"Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you!"

Anna jumps off the chariot and tells the boys to face each other, which they did. Then the brunette has one last idea shouts something up at them, but the music drowns her out. She shouts again and makes gestures.

"What's she saying?" Jack asked. "She's your stylist." _And I wouldn't complain at all. You look great._

"I think she said for us to hold hands," says Hiccup. He hesistantly took both Jack's hands in his, the white haired teen blushed heatedly which Hiccup didn't noticed as he looks to Anna for confirmation. She nods and gives a thumbs-up, and that's the last thing he sees before they enter the city.

Hiccup yelped, having trouble staying on due to his disoriented nature, not t mention clumsy. But Jack had a firm grip on him and even promised not to let him fall till the whole thing was over. Every head is turned their way, pulling the focus from the three chariots ahead of us. At first, Hiccup is frozen, but then he then noticed a red beam darting directly up Jack's headpiece and gaped at the _surprise presentaation._

Hiccup couldn't tear his eyes away as Jack's center piece creates auroras. Actual auroras just above him! Then to Hiccup's surprise, more lasers come from his cloak's cape's patterns towards the albino's full form, to his ice costume. Creating a fog-like presentation around them. They seem to be leaving a trail of rainbow on their path

The Haddock took in Jack' appearance for the first time. He really was a good-looking boy, he understood why the girls in school fawned over him as much as they did for the most popular boy, Jamie Bennette. Jack was really a catch, very much strong in physique and not too bulky, making him have a clean and youthful form. _He's very handsome..._

Hiccup blinked at his train of thoughts. _He's a guy! _The boy reminded himself. But too late, the thought was in his head. _Well, guess there isn't anything wrong to think he was handsome. Truth was truth. And he did say I was adorable too..._

Okay, Hiccup decided to stop thinking. Then he recalled Anna's instructions.

_Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you!_

Hiccup attempted to do that just to get his thoughts thoughts straight (pun totally unintended) but when he turned his head to Berk, he ended up almost swirling all the way with his body when they got to a bumpy part, bringing Jack with him. Instead of falling and ruining the presentation like he thought, bringing Jack to turn with him actual helped equilibrium and he was set on keeping his promise to make sure Hiccup doesn't fall till the end of this. Because of the spin, it cause more good than damage, because it appeared as if they created a rainbow tornado.

~o~

The people of Berk are going nuts, showering them with flowers, shouting their names, the first names, which they have bothered to find on the program. The pounding music, the cheers, the admiration never work their way into either of the boy's, because they were focused to each other's eyes. Jack mesmerized by Hiccup's forest emeralds, and the brunette captivated by the albino's icicle sapphires. Elsa and Anna has definitely given them a great advantage. No one will forget them. Not their looks, not their names.

Jackson Overland.

The living Frostbite.

It's not until they've enter the City Circle that Jack realize he was making Hiccup dizzy with the continous spinning. As they almost neared the center line up, Jack pulled Hiccup into him, and kept him steady throughout the program. He was elated when Hiccup snuggled into him more.

"Now there's the Spirit of the games, two partner Lights supporting each other in the heat-or coldness-of the competitions! It just says _'I'm proud to be District Twelve' _Lovely! They definitely earned the title of Lights."

The twelve chariots fill the loop of the City Circle. On the buildings that surround the Circle, every window is packed with the most prestigious citizens of the Capitol. District 12's horses pull our chariot right up to President Pitchner Black's mansion, and the boys' comes to a halt. "Sorry," Jack muttered to Hiccup, as he realized that the boy was pressed up on his person and therefore to cold ice. "I made you cold," He was about to let go but Hiccup didn't allow it to his surprise. If any, the brunette held on.

"Still dizzy, The ice helps," Hiccup muttered queasily. "Besides, you promised not to let me go and fall."

So Jack keeps holding on, but can't help feeling strange about the way Anna has linked them together. It's not really fair to present them as a team and then lock them into the arena to kill each other. The music then ends in flourish. The president, a tall, thin man with ashen-black hair, gives the official welcome from a balcony above them, his Nightmare by his side for any rioteers, if any. It is traditional to cut away to the faces of the Lights during the speech. But Jack can see on the screen that they were getting way more than their share of airtime. The darker it becomes, the more difficult it is to take your eyes off their lights. When the national anthem plays, they do make an effort to do a quick cut around to each pair of Lights, but the camera holds on the District 12 chariot

as it parades around the circle one final time, Jack positioning Hiccup so the lasers still hits and reflects an his ice to make final auroras and they disappear into the Training Center.

**:::::**

The doors have only just shut behind them when Jack's Olaf brings a small flamethrower to get rid of his ice and the boy is finally able to reheat, the ice melting to Hiccup's skin. Flynn and Monty then chases Olaf as his outfit was suddenly caught in fire.

If Hiccup took his time, he'd notice a lot of the other Lights are shooting them dirty looks, which confirms what he have suspected, that they literally outshone them all. But seriously, his attention was only at the boy who held him close in his arms. _Such strong arms, a very sturdy chest, broad shoulders, strong body built..._ It was the first time he ever felt that way.

"You still dizzy?"

Hiccup blinked and turned bright red, pulling away from Jack. At that moment, Toothless jumped off Anna's arms and bounded up into his master's arms.

"Erm, I-yeah, no. I'm fine now." The brunette said sheepishly, stroking Toothless behind the ears. "How pathetic... For getting a little shaky there,"

"I noticed, but don't worry." Jack smiled. "I think it helped more. The crowd seemed to like it." He chuckled

Hiccup smiled back shyly. "In any case, thank you."

"Huh, what for?"

"For keeping your promise, you didn't make me fall till the end of it." At that, Hiccup walked away from him.

Jack blinked rapidly, going through the brunette's words. "Hey wait!" He went after him. "I didn't even let you fall at all. What do you mean the _'till the end of it' _part?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Little did the either of them know Hiccup did fell at one point... He fell head over heels for the Frostbite.

The hard part now was him coming to terms with it. But Hiccup knew it wouldn't have mattered either way, no matter what edge Elsa and Anna gave them, it didn't change the rules to the competitions.

"Hiccup, wait." Jack caught his shoulder. "let me also thank you."

It was Hiccup's turn to be confused. "For what?"

"For... For before," Jack rubbed the back of his head shyly. "I should've done this a long time ago, but now was the only time I got this close enough to do it."

"Do wha-?" Hiccup trailed off as Jack planted a kiss on his cheek, right where the bruise was. The brunette's eyes widened in surprise.

Jack pulled away, smiling shyly. The prep team gaped. Anna gushed and wondered where the cameras were. Elsa remained calm but slightly stunned. "Thank you. For the bread, you kept me going. I wouldn't be alive if not for you. So I wanted to thank you."

Hiccup stared at the boy blankly before snapping at him. "YOU COULD'VE DONE THAT WITHOUT KISSING! Seriously, and isn't it too late for that gratitude? I'll be killed in a few weeks! Thanks for making one kissing joke out of this!" He huffed and trudged off.

Jack eyes widened in hurt. "But... The kiss wasn't a joke..." But it was too low for anyone to hear.

_These feelings... Whatever they are... To hell with it._

To Hiccup, there was no point of having come to terms with it, there was no point in a confession if it was confirmed. There was no future for him with Jack and there was never going to be... Ever. Not where they were going.

Besides, he wasn't gay.

**A/N: Aww! Hiccup might have feelings for Jack. (what am I talking about? It was bound to happen.) He just has to realize it, or will Jack be giving him the wake up call? You'll see. Hope you like it. Tell me what you think please! No flames, Jack will melt.**


	5. The Sandys

**A/N: Happy 2014 everybody! Hope you had fun welcoming the New Year, I sure did. My gift to you readers for the New Year. A quick update. Gift me back with reviews. Please tell me what you think so far of the character roles I gave. Like Fishlegs' and Sandy's role plays. I wish I can spoil some castings like Finnick, Annie, Rue, Thresh but yeah... Patience. In due time.**

**Sandys (yeah, like Sandy the silent Sandman) - Avox woman**

**Fishlegs - Delly Cartwright **

**The Sandys**

_**Jack eyes widened in hurt. "But... The kiss wasn't a joke..." But it was too low for anyone to hear.**_

_**These feelings... Whatever they are... To hell with it. **_

_**To Hiccup, there was no point of having come to terms with it, there was no point in a confession if it was confirmed. There was no future for him with Jack and there was never going to be... Ever. Not where they were going.**_

_**Besides, he wasn't gay.**_

**:::::**

No matter how hard he tried, Hiccup couldn't stop thinking of Jack. But not in the pre-romantic way. No, definitely not that. That was never happening, it was impossible. They were both guys. He grew up being taught that to like the same gender was unheard of. Besides, where Hiccup was headed weeks after training and one interview comes the bloodbath, he didn't need more reasons for suffering...

_No! It wasn't suffering! _Hiccup snapped to himself. _Not liking a guy is not gonna make me suffer, I'm just making things less difficult for me, yeah, that's it..._

Hiccup decided he wasn't going to feel guilty about this any longer. He did nothing wrong, except... Maybe he did hurt Jack's feelings. So far, he learned that the boy had a playful nature and somewhat affectionate-protective one. Why else would he have taken his sister's place in an instant? He was thankful and the kiss was probably his playful way of going on about it. He probably didn't mean anything about it even. Lashing out on him was probably unnecessary... Before the brunette could think about it more, Tooth checks on his re-dressing and tells him they needed to proceed to the Training Center. He adjusted his pin and beckoned to Toothless to follow him out. Although he was a bit reluctant to leave Hiccup's nice room.

Hiccup's quarters are larger than his entire house back home. They are plush, like the train car, but also have so many automatic gadgets that he's sure he won't have time to press all the buttons. The shower alone has a panel with more than a hundred options you can choose regulating water temperature, pressure, soaps, shampoos, scents, oils, and massaging sponges. When you step out on a mat, heaters come on that blow-dry your body. Instead of struggling with the knots in his wet hair, Hiccup merely places his hand on a box that sends a current through his scalp, untangling, parting, and drying his hair almost instantly. For dressing, he only had to program the closet for an outfit to his taste. The windows zoom in and out on parts of the city at his command. He needs only whisper a type of food from a gigantic menu into a mouthpiece and it appears, hot and steamy, before you in less than a minute. But right now, he has to eat with the others.

The Training Center has a tower designed exclusively for the Lights and their teams. This will be their home until the actual Games begin. Each district has an entire floor. Just simply step onto an elevator and press the number of the designated district. Easy enough to remember. Hiccup have ridden the elevator a couple of times in the Justice Building back in District 12. Once when he came with his father to pick up his cousin and sign the adoption papers and then yesterday to say his final goodbyes to his friend, Heather, and family. But that's a dark and creaky thing that moves like a snail and smells of sour milk. The walls of this elevator are made of crystal so that you can watch the people on the ground floor shrink to ants as you shoot up into the air. It's exhilarating and he's tempted to ask Tooth if they can ride it again, but somehow that seems childish. So he stepped out of the elevator and went through a hall after Tooth.

Suddenly, without being prepared for it, Hiccup was once again face to face with Jack. The white haired teen blinked his eyes upon seeing the boy as if to ascertain it was really Hiccup. Tooth noticed and being filled in with what happened earlier, she left them alone. Jack was running a hand through his hair, trying to find his words. The brunette sighed and decided to break the ice. Pun unintended.

"Don't you ever wear shoes?"

Jack puzzled over the question a moment before rambling. "Uhm-I-well I just like going barefooted, it makes me comfortable-Not that I'm uncomfortable now! I mean, why would I be uncomfortable now around you?" He went on. "It just makes me relax better and I-well-If it bothers you I could put some on-"

Well, maybe _**tried to break the ice**_ was a more accurate statement. Hiccup exchanged glances with Toothless. The cat's expression was something like _He's your kind. Deal with him._

"Back up Jack, I didn't even say anything about being barefooted bothering me. Slow down."

Jack flushed heatedly. "Look, Hiccup... About what happened back there..."

"Yeah, about that," Hiccup held up a hand. "look, we don't have to talk about it now. My mind is still trying to put my thoughts together and I rather have it sorted before we talk about it. Anyway, I'm not upset about it now. Just let me think,"

Jack swings his leg as if to kick some non-existant space. "Yeah... Think... Sure, I can let you do that..." He said dejectedly, turning around and following where Tooth went. Hiccup went after him, nudging his arm. "what?"

"You don't have to sulk. It's just me. Not like a girlfriend dumped you or anything,"

Jack pouted. "I wouldn't be sure about that."

**:::::**

Apparentley, Tooth's duties did not conclude at the station. She and Aster will be overseeing Jack and Hiccup right into the arena. That's a plus because at least she can be counted on to corral the boys around to places on time whereas they haven't even seen Aster since he agreed to help them on the train. Probably painting out somewhere.

Tooth, on the other hand, was supportive and proud of that splash at the opening ceremonies. She compliments not just the costumes but how they conducted ourselves. Cooperating well with the prep teams. And Tooth knows everyone who's anyone in Berk and has been talking them up all day, trying to win them sponsors. Hiccup was up to speed of their importance by Anna before the ceremony, so he knew the big deal about not messing their entrance up.

"I've been very mysterious, though," she says, her eyes squint half shut. "Because, of course, Aster hasn't told me your strategies. But I've done my best with what I had to work with. How Jack sacrificed himself for his sister. How Hiccup was quite clever winning a scavenger hunt."

Hiccup's shoulders slumped a bit. "My bit seems to less a patronizing deed in comparison..." He muttered.

"You managed to bring fruits home to your family. A basket," Jack inputted. "That's a big deal in our district. That time, you fed them more fruits than a family could every expect to get in two months. Even if they did hunt."

The brunette shrugged. "It's not a real occupation hazard or a startling feat, not like I can keep it up even if I wanted to. The scavenger hunt was a one time District thing." He said dejectedly and Toothless chose that moment to jump into his arms.

"It's what you did that counted, and you did that without shedding blood." Jack chanced a smile at the boy. "that's purity. Not so easy to have that in tact at this world."

Hiccup flushed at how tenderly he said that. "Fine, I'll bite."

"Like a Frostbite?" Jack grinned cockily.

The brunette face palmed-or fur palmed, since he buried his face to Toothless-and groaned. "Jack, really? You did not just say that."

"What?"

"Man, that was lame."

"Hey, I like to see you do better."

"Actually, I probably can, and I can do that without you fur-palming."

The boys smiled.

And evidently, so did Tooth, seeing the tension between the boys alleviate. "Everyone has their reservations, naturally. You being from the ice district. Usually for food preservation here and at a better point, air condition. But every place worked with what they have, I told them."

For example, District 1 that can turn graphite into diamonds. District 13's job was to supply the graphite until they were destroyed.

"Unfortunately, I can't seal the sponsor deals for you. Only Aster can do that," sighs Tooth wearily. "But don't worry, I'll get him to the table at gunpoint if necessary. But we'll get to that after you boys have eaten, and I'll have someone fetch Aster too. He needs to eat." In many departments, Tooth has a certain motherly determination anyone has to admire.

**:::::**

Elsa and Anna were standing out on a balcony that overlooks Berk when the three enter the dining room. Hiccup's glad to see the stylists, particularly after hearing that Aster will be joining them. A meal presided over by just Jack, Tooth and Aster is bound to be a disaster like the one at the train. Besides, dinner isn't really about food, it's about planning out strategies, and Elsa and Anna have already proven how valuable they are.

A silent young man dressed in a golden-yellow tunic offers them all stemmed glasses of wine. Hiccup thinks about turning it down, but he never had wine, except the homemade stuff his mother uses for coughs, and when will he get a chance to try it? He takes a sip of the tart, dry liquid and secretly think it could be improved by a few spoonfuls of honey.

Aster shows up just as dinner is being served. It looks as if he's had his own stylist because he's clean and groomed and about as sober as the boys have ever seen him. Maybe he really will pull himself together long enough to help them.

Elsa and Anna seem to have a civilizing effect on Aster. At least they're addressing each other decently. And they both have nothing but praise for the stylists' opening act. While they make small talk, Hiccup concentrates on the meal. Mushroom soup, bitter greens with tomatoes the size of peas, rare roast beef sliced as thin as paper, noodles in a green sauce, cheese that melts on your tongue served with sweet blue grapes. The servers, all young people dressed in golden-yellow tunics like the one who gave the wine, move wordlessly to and from the table, keeping the platters and glasses full. About halfway through Hiccup's glass of wine, his head starts feeling foggy, so he changes to water instead. He doesn't like the feeling and hope it wears off soon. Toothless eating fishes whole didn't really help.

He tries to focus on the talk, which has turned to their interview costumes, when a boy sets a gorgeous-looking cake on the table and deftly lights it. It blazes up and then the flames flicker around the edges awhile until it finally goes out. Hiccup has a moment of doubt. "What makes it burn? Is it alcohol?" He asked, looking up at the boy. "That's the last thing I wa—oh! I know you!" He couldn't place a name or time to the boy's face. But he's certain of it. The wavy sunny-blond hair, the striking features, the yellowish flesh skin. But even as Hiccup utters the words, he feels his insides contracting with anxiety and guilt at the sight of him, and while he can't pull it up, he knew some bad memory is associated with the boy. The expression of terror that crosses his face only adds to the confusion and unease. He shakes his head in denial quickly and hurries away from the table.

When the brunette looks back, the four adults are watching him like hawks.

"Are you certain, Hiccup. How could you possibly know a Sandys?" frets Anna. "The very thought."

"What's a Sandys?" He ask stupidly.

"Someone who committed a crime. They bloody cut his tongue so he can't speak," says Aster. "he's probably a traitor of some sort. Not likely you'd know him."

"And even if you did, you're not to speak to one of them unless it's to give an order," says Tooth. "Of course, you don't really know him."

_But I do know him._ And now that Aster has mentioned the word **traitor** Hiccup remembers from where. The disapproval is so high he could never admit it. "No, I guess not, I just—" He stammers, and the wine is not helping.

Jack snaps his fingers. "Probably Fishlegs. That's who it is. I kept thinking he looked familiar as well. Then I realized he's a dead ringer for Fishlegs."

Fishlegs is a stout boy with yellowish hair who looks about as much like our server as a beetle does a butterfly. He may also be the most pacifist person on the planet—he avoids fights like a fly should avoid a venus-flytrap. But Hiccup jumps on Jack's suggestion gratefully. "Of course, that's who I was thinking of. It must be the hair," He says. The hair was about right anyway.

"Something about the shape, too," says Jack.

The energy at the table relaxes. "Oh, well. If that's all it is," says Elsa. "And yes, the cake has spirits, but just enough to have a chilly bite to it. I ordered it specially in honor of your icy debut."

They eat the cake and move into a sitting room to watch the replay of the opening ceremonies that's being broadcast. A few of the other couples make a nice impression, but none of them can hold an icicle to the boys. Even their own party lets out an "Ahh!" as they show them coming out for their turn.

"Whose idea was the hand holding?" asks Aster.

"Elsa's," says Anna.

"Just the perfect bloody touch of rebellion," says Aster. "Very nice."

_Rebellion?_ Hiccup has to think about that one a moment. But then he remembers the other couples, standing stiffly apart, never touching or acknowledging each other, as if their fellow Light did not exist, as if the Games had already begun, Hiccup knows what Aster means. It was odd, because they were the same gender yet they held on to each other while the more assuming boy-girl pairs rejected each other's support. _Presenting ourselves not as adversaries but as friends has distinguished us as much as the icy costumes._

"Tomorrow morning is the first training session. Meet me for breakfast and I'll tell you exactly how I want you gumbies to play it," says Aster to Hiccup and Jack. "Now go get some sleep while the grown-ups talk."

Hiccup and Jack walks together down the corridor to their rooms with Toothless between them. When they get to the brunette's door, Jack leans against the frame, not blocking the brunette's entrance exactly but insisting he paid attention to him. "So, Fishlegs. Imagine finding his lookalike here."

He's asking for an explanation, and Hiccup's tempted to give him one. They both knew Jack covered for him.

_If I tell him the truth about the boy, how can it hurt really? Even if he repeated the story, it couldn't do me much harm. It was just something I witnessed. And he lied as much as I did about Fishlegs._

Hiccup realize he did want to talk to someone about the boy. Someone who might be able to help him figure out his story.

Toothless would be his first choice, but it's unlikely he'll ever get a decent response out of a cat.

Besides, the idea of the boy with his maimed tongue frightens Hiccup. He has reminded the brunette why he was here. Not to model flashy costumes and eat delicacies. But to die a bloody death while the crowds urge on the killer.

_To tell or not to tell?_ His brain still feels slow from the wine. He stared down the empty corridor as if the decision lies there.

Jack picks up on the hesitation. "Have you been on the roof yet?" Hiccup shakes his head. "Elsa showed me. You can practically see the whole city. The wind's a bit loud, though."

Hiccup translates this into _No one will overhear us talking_ in his head. He did have the sense that they might be under surveillance here. "Can we just go up?"

"Sure, come on," says the albino, going ahead. Hiccup looked down at Toothless, hoping he'd come along for moral support. He was still slightly uncomfortable with the Overland boy. To answer, Toothless proceeded into Hiccup's room; he was given with a dog door-or in his case, a cat door.

Hiccup pouted. "Thank you for nothing you useless feline," He sighed and trudged after Jack to a flight of stairs that lead to the roof. There's a small dome-shaped room with a door to the outside. As they step into the cool, windy evening air, Hiccup catched his breath at the view. Berk twinkles like a vast field of fireflies. Electricity in District 12 comes and goes, usually they only have it a few hours a day. Often the evenings are spent in candlelight. The only time you can count on it is when they're airing the Games or some important government message on television that it's mandatory to watch. But here there would be no shortage. Ever.

Hiccup and Jack walks to a railing at the edge of the roof. The brunette looks straight down the side of the building to the street, which is buzzing with people. Their cars can be heard, an occasional shout, and a strange metallic tinkling. In District 12, they'd all be thinking about bed right now.

"I asked Elsa why they let us up here. _Weren't they worried that some of the Lights might decide to jump right over the side?_" says Jack.

"What'd she say?" Hiccup asked.

"You can't," says Jack. He holds out his hand into seemingly empty space. There's a sharp zap and he jerks it back. "Some kind of electric field throws you back on the roof."

"Always worried about our safety," Hiccup snarkily muttered. Even though Elsa has shown Jack the roof, he wondered if they were supposed to be up here now, so late and alone. He never saw Lights on the Training Center roof before. But that doesn't mean they were not being taped. "Do you think they're watching us now?"

"Maybe," he admits. "Come see the garden."

On the other side of the dome, they've built a garden with flower beds and potted trees. From the branches hang hundreds of wind chimes, which account for the tinkling Hiccup heard. Here in the garden, on this windy night, it's enough to drown out two people who are trying not to be heard. Jack looks at Hiccup expectantly.

The brunette pretends to examine a blossom. "We were hunting in the woods one day. Hidden, waiting for game," He whispered.

"You and your brother?" Jack whispers back.

"No, my father Stoick. Snoutlout still had Uncle Spitelout then. Dad tried seeing if I could finally hunt on my own." Hiccup clarified. "Suddenly all the birds stopped singing at once. Except one. As if it were giving a warning call. And then we saw him. I'm sure it was the same boy. A dragon was with him. His clothes were tattered. He had dark circles under his eyes from no sleep. They were running as if their lives depended on it," He says.

For a moment he's silent, as he remembered how the sight of this strange pair, clearly not from District 12, fleeing through the woods immobilized the Haddocks. Later, they wondered if they could have helped them escape. Perhaps they might have. Concealed them. If they'd moved quickly. Hiccup and his fatner were taken by surprise, yes, but one of them were hunters. Stoick knew how animals look at bay. Stoick knew the pair was in trouble as soon as he saw them. But they only watched.

"The hovercraft appeared out of nowhere," Hiccup continue to Jack, shivering. Jack wanted to put his arms around him, but he didn't want to risk it again. "I mean, one moment the sky was empty and the next it was there. It didn't make a sound, but they saw it. A net dropped down on the boy and carried him up, fast, so fast like the elevator. They shot some sort of spear through the Dragon, I think it was a Sibbleback type if the book I read got it right. They'd probably fly if the Dragon could. The spear was attached to a cable and they hauled it up as well. But I'm certain it was dead. We heard the boy scream once. The Dragon's name, I think. Then it was gone, the hovercraft. Vanished into thin air. And the birds began to sing again, as if nothing had happened."

"Did he see you?"

"I don't know. We were under a shelf of rock," 

But he does know. There was a moment, after the birdcall, but before the hovercraft, where the boy had seen them. He'd locked eyes with Hiccup and called out for help. But neither he or Stoick had responded.

"You're shivering," Jack frowned. "can I? Uhm-if you don't mind, that is..." He opened his arms, then dropping almost instantly.

The wind and the story have blown all the warmth from Hiccup's body. The boy's scream. Had it been his last? Jack takes off his jacket, a blue hoodie remaining since Berk was cold at night to require two layer of clothing, something the brunette would know if he ever watched the Nightmare Games, and puts it around the smaller male's shoulders. Hiccup starts to take a step back, but then lets him, deciding for a moment to accept both his hoodie and his kindness._ A friend would do that, right? _Unconciously, he brought his arms around his shoulders and leaned into Jack. The albino said nothing. The blush said it all if Hiccup took the time to look at his face.

"They were from here?" Jack asks, and he secures a button at his neck.

Hiccup nodded. He had Berk look about him. And he even had a Dragon. They were still treated as pets for those rich enough to have them.

"Where do you suppose they were going?" he asks.

"I don't know that," Hiccup sighed.

District 12 is pretty much the end of the line. Beyond that, there's only wilderness. If no one counted the ruins of District 13 that still smolder from the toxic bombs. They show it on television occasionally, just to remind everyone.

"I don't know that," The brunette repeated. "Or why they would leave here." Aster had called the Sandys traitors. Against what? It could only be Berk. But they had everything here. No cause to rebel.

"I'd leave here," Jack blurts out. Then he looks around nervously. It was loud enough to hear above the chimes. He laughs. "I'd go home now if they let me. But you have to admit, the food's prime..." He's covered. If that's all you'd heard it would just sound like the words of a scared Light, not someone contemplating the unquestionable goodness of the Berk. "Still... If you think about it... When you saw his clothes, did you think he came from an elite family if the clothes weren't tatttered?"

Hiccup considered the question and his memory. "... Maybe. Even in the night, the clothing sparkled like gold, even more so than the uniform now." He answered. "why?"

"Well, you see, if someone here has a Dragon, it's either their a politician who needed the body guard or a soldiers-to-be, we learned that in History." Jack shrugged. "So if that was you, and you had a Dragon who couldn't, well, fly... Then that meant the boy was neither."

"And the Dragon was simply his friend. But he couldn't have it if he wasn't a politician or soldier..." Hiccup whispered. Jack nodded, and the brunette realize the boy actual gave him an explanation for the incident, even if it was just speculation. And the incident's mystery has ben bothering him for a while. And recalling the memory made Hiccup realize that Dragons really weren't as free as the people from the Districts were. Except that one Nightfury, how lucky. "That's an idea to consider,"

"Hiccup, it's not your fault."

The brunette's head snapped up. "Huh?"

Jack continued. "Even the strongest person ever, no one can help everyone." He told him. "I don't know you long enough, but I have a feeling this has been bothering you for awhile. Thinking of something you might've done to make things better. But you've help others; like me, your family, in your own way. The way that only you can. Like I said, it's what you've done that counted." He looked right into his eyes.

"Why..." Hiccup's brows furrowed. "Why are you so determine to raise my spirits?"

Jack chuckled softly. "Because you don't do it enough. I figured someone has to, and I don't mind being someone." He said. "It's getting chilly. We better go in," he added.

Hiccup grabbed Jack's hoodie sleeve and pulls him back. The albino turned to face him. "Just... I guess I'm done thinking."

"Huh?"

Jack was a very nice person, Hiccup concluded. He pointedly ignored over and over again the rules of the games that there can only be one victor if only to make sure they was no awkwardness or tension between them. No barriers for creating good ties. If he was going to die anyway, he didn't want to be in bad terms with anyone. Especially the one person who'll be with him mostly throughout his last days. He figured it wasn't such a bad thing.

And Jack was the only person whoever saw so much in him.

"About the kiss earlier, we can just forget it and put it behind us." Hiccup smiled. "you probably did it in the heat of the moment, there's no need to be all uptight about it, so I'll drop it if you drop my outburst."

Jack's brows furrowed. "What-I don't understand," He admitted.

"Well obviously you meant nothing by it, we are both guys so I'm sorry I made a big fuss about it. So let's just let bygones be bygones," Hiccup held a hand out. "Sounds good?"

"What makes you think I didn't me-Oh forget it," Jack sighed, letting it drop and taking the outstretch hand, giving a shake. "so we're good?"

"Yeah," Hiccup shrugged. "we're good."

**:::::**

Jack brought Hiccup to his room first. The brunette gave back the jacket back. "See you in the morning then."

"See you," Jack says, and walked off down the hall.

When Hiccup opened his door, the sunny-blond boy is collecting his dressclothes and boots from where he left them on the floor before his shower. He wanted to apologize for possibly getting him in trouble earlier. But he remembers he wasn't supposed to speak to him unless he was giving him an order.

"Oh, sorry," Hiccup said instead, "I was supposed to get those back to Anna. I'm sorry. Can you take them to her?"

The boy avoids Hiccup's eyes, gives a small nod, and heads out the door.

Hiccup had set out to tell him he was sorry about dinner. But he knew that his apology runs much deeper. That he was ashamed he never tried to help him in the woods. That he let Berk kill the boy's Dragon and mutilate him without lifting a finger.

Just like everyone who was watching the Games.

Hiccup kick off his shoes and climb under the covers in his clothes. The shivering hasn't stopped. _Perhaps the boy doesn't even remember me._ But he know he did. You don't forget the face of the person who was your last hope. Hiccup pull the covers up over his head as if this will protect him from the sunny-blond boy who can't speak. But Hiccup can feel his eyes staring at him, piercing through walls and doors and bedding. Toothless picked the right time to cuddle up next to him as a dark thought crosses Hiccup's mind. The brunette hugged his loyal companion.

_I wonder if he'll enjoy watching me die._

**A/N: Okay, so I saw this ROTG/HTTYD Fanart of the Guardians with Dragons and somehow the Sibbleback was the one with Sandy. So I went with that. This chapter wasn't much, I think. Not many HiJack feels but it'll be okay. Once I get to training, the interview then the arena things will definitely be constant chapters of HiJack feels. So we just have to wait, eh? Reviews equals faster updates folks. But that's not a promise.**


	6. Training Begins

**A/N: Okay! Training beginning. So close to the arena, the start of HiJack pre-romance feeels! Oooh, I'm so excited. aoshinobi, I hope I managed to get this out before your mountain ranges vacation. Parting gift? Haha, maybe. Hope you like it.**

**Calhoun (Wreck-it-Ralph) - Atala**

**Vanellope (Wreck-it-Ralph) - Rue**

**Training Begins**

_**Jack brought Hiccup to his room first. The brunette gave back the jacket back. "See you in the morning then.**__**"**___

"_**See you," Jack says, and walked off down the hall.**_

_**When Hiccup opened his door, the sunny-blond boy is collecting his dressclothes and boots from where he left them on the floor before his shower. He wanted to apologize for possibly getting him in trouble earlier. But he remembers he wasn't supposed to speak to him unless he was giving him an order. **_

"_**Oh, sorry," Hiccup said instead, "I was supposed to get those back to Anna. I'm sorry. Can you take them to her?"**_

_**The boy avoids Hiccup's eyes, gives a small nod, and heads out the door.**_

_**Hiccup had set out to tell him he was sorry about dinner. But he knew that his apology runs much deeper. That he was ashamed he never tried to help him in the woods. That he let Berk kill the boy's Dragon and mutilate him without lifting a finger. **_

_**Just like everyone who was watching the Games. **_

_**Hiccup kick off his shoes and climb under the covers in his clothes. The shivering hasn't stopped. Perhaps the boy doesn't even remember me. But he know he did. You don't forget the face of the person who was your last hope. Hiccup pull the covers up over his head as if this will protect him from the sunny-blond boy who can't speak. But Hiccup can feel his eyes staring at him, piercing through walls and doors and bedding. Toothless picked the right time to cuddle up next to him as a dark thought crosses Hiccup's mind. The brunette hugged his loyal companion.**_

_**I wonder if he'll enjoy watching me die.**_

**:::::**

Jack's slumbers are filled with disturbing dreams. Hiccup's tongue being cut in replacement for the sunny-blond Sandys because damn the brunette felt guilty enough to take his place, gory images from earlier Nightmare Games, with Mrs. Overland withdrawn and unreachable, with Emma being emaciated and terrified. The albino bolts up screaming for his father to run as the mine explodes into a million deadly bits of light than turned to the Dawn that is breaking through the windows as his eyes opened widely. Berk has a misty, haunted air. Jack's head aches and he must have bitten into the side of his cheek in the night. His tongue probes the ragged flesh and he tasted blood.

Slowly, he dragged himself out of bed and into the shower. Jack arbitrarily punches buttons on the control board and end up hopping from foot to foot as alternating jets of icy cold and steaming hot water assaults him. Then he's deluged in lemony foam that he has to scrape off with a heavy bristled brush.

When he's dried and moisturized with lotion, the Overland boy finds an outfit has been left for him at the front of the closet. Tight brown pants, a long-sleeved blue burgundy hooded-tunic, and leather shoes. This is the first time since the morning of the reaping that he resembled himself. No ice-imitation-gel on his hair and freezing costumes, no solid ice on his person. Just Jack. Looking like he could be headed for the woods. It calmed him.

Aster didn't give them an exact time to meet for breakfast and no one has contacted him this morning, but Jack is hungry so he headed down to the dining room, hoping there will be food. He was not disappointed. While the table is empty, a long board off to the side has been laid with at least twenty dishes. A young woman, a Sandys, stands at attention by the spread. When Jack asked if he can serve himself, she nods assent. Jack wasn't comfortable around Sandys after hearing Hiccup's story. He loaded a plate with eggs, sausages, batter cakes covered in thick orange preserves, slices of pale purple melon. As the albino gorges himself, he watches the sun rise over Berk. He had a second plate of hot grain smothered in beef stew. Finally, Jack filled a plate with rolls and sit at the table, breaking oil bits and dipping them into eggnog, the way he did on the train.

His mind wanders to his mother and Emma. They must be up. Mrs. Overland getting their breakfast of mush. Emma milking her goat before school. Just two mornings ago, he had been home and had nothing to do with Hamish Haddock, not even a little to call him by his nickname. _Can that be right? Yes, just two._ And how it seemed normal to him so quickly. What did they say last night about his icy debut at the Games? Did it give them hope, or simply add to their terror when they saw the reality of twenty-four Lights circled together, knowing only one could live?

Aster and Hiccup comes in, bid Jack good morning, and fill their plates. Toothless was still sleeping so the brunette left him in the room, intending to have someone bring the cat food later. It makes Jack somewhat giddy that Hiccup is wearing exactly the same outfit he was except it was green. But then this takes him back to Elsa, and the talk they had last night when he was returning to his room...

**:::::**

_Jack was surprise to find Elsa by his room, looking serious. He approached her easily though, the stylist had a charm that the albino found appealing. Like they could really relate to each other._

_"Hey Elsa," He greeted. "what's up? Weren't you 'adults' talking?"_

_Elsa placed her hands together between her torso, fingers intertwined. "Yes, but I wanted to talk to you as well, about..." She bit her lip. "...concerning matters,"_

_"My interview outfit?" Jack asked and frowned. "no more ice please."_

_That got her to smile a bit. "I'll see what I can do, but no, not that." she said. Then got straight to the point. "Do you like Hiccup in a romantic way?"_

_Jack blinked rapidly, blushing. But why was someone he just met asking him such a personal question without being reserved?_

_"I'm afraid that I'll have to take that as a yes,"_

_Jack raised a brow. "Why? Is it wrong, are you disgusted?" He pursed his lips. "wanna resign as my stylist?"_

_"Of course not. I became District Twelve's stylist because I'm tired of watching their stylists not giving them much of an edge, because the District was always looked don upon for being most unassuming," Elsa replied. "I wouldn't do that for some reason like that. Actually, you'll be surprise how boys love is trending these days."_

_Jack cocked his head but was afraid to ask more about that last part she said. "Then what is it?" He questioned._

_"It's your mentor," The silver blond sighed. "he has an inkling of your feelings. I think he has an intention of using it as your strategy."_

_"Strategy? How does that give any of us an edge?"_

_"I'm not entirely sure what goes on his head, but whatever it is, it's playing on emotions. Eitherway, I just want to express my condolences."_

_Jack frowned. "Is this about the Sole Victor rule?"_

_"Yes, whether you win or you lose, there's going to be a loss on your part no matter what." She sighed. "If only things could be different. I never liked the Nightmare Games. It must be hard for you people in Districts, forever living in fear."_

_"Then why did you do it?"_

_"Do what?"_

_"Anna said it was your idea about the hand holding bit."_

_"Yes, but that was before I knew. My only thought was that either one of you shouldn't fall, especially Hiccup. He has clumsy issues, so my sister says." Elsa smiled coyly. "but I guess that backfired."_

_"Huh? No, it didn't. We stayed on, neither of us fell."_

_Elsa chuckled. "Well, then I guess you didn't catch the gleam in his eyes when the camera came focused on you two. Good night, Jack." She walked down the hall, leaving the albino utterly confused._

**:::::**

Even now, Jack didn't understand. His eyes were focused on Hiccup that moment last night the entire time, but he didn't see a _gleam _whatever that is. Still, Elsa has proven reliable so far, and Jack trusted her. He was glad she was on his team, after last night's triumph. He was gonna need her level-head here on out.

Plus, it was great he had someone to confide to when it came to his feelings about a certain brunette.

~o~

Hiccup was nervous about the training. There will be three weeks in which all the Lights practice together. On the last afternoon, they'll each get a chance to perform in private before the Gamemakers. The thought of meeting the other Lights face-to-face makes him queasy, not that it took a lot for him to feel that. He turns the roll he has just taken from the basket over and over in his hands, but his appetite is gone since he kept replaying his dreams of a certain Sandys killing him, and he couldn't scream because said Sandys cut out his tongue first.

When Aster has finished several platters of carrot stew, he pushes back his plate with a sigh. He takes a egg and paintbrush from his pocket and made to paint. "So, let's get down to business. Training. First off, if you like, I'll coach you separately. Decide now."

"Why would you coach us separately?" Hiccup asked.

Aster shrugged. "Say if you had a bloody secret skill you might not want the other to know about," He said.

Hiccup exchanges a look with Jack. "I don't have any secret skills," he says. "And I already know what yours is, right? I mean, I've eaten enough of your squirrels."

"Yeah, and I know Hiccup's clever, we had this talk down at the train."

So they came to an agreement.

"You can coach us together," Jack told Aster. Hiccup nodded.

"All right, so lets start with what I already know of what you can do," says Aster. "Jack can throw a knife. Hiccup can..." He trailed off as Hiccup took it snarkily from there.

"I can't do anything, unless you count baking bread, smithing axes, and keeping an eye on my brother."

"Sorry, I don't mate. But maybe you can smart-talk someone to kill you faster, now don't interrupt." Aster snapped, ignoring the way Hiccup's expression turned sour. "so as I was saying, do either of you hunt? I know for a fact some does back at District Twelve, I had my fair share in it before I became a victor." He said, and had sense enough to lower his voice incase anyone was listening and they could be arrested for poaching after the Games. Then again, they wouldn't bother Jack or Hiccup about it. One of them, or both, might end up dead after the Games.

"Sure, I can hunt," Jack answered. "With a spear, mostly. Although I turn it to a slingshot whenever I'm catching fowl game."

"And you're good?"

Jack had to think about it. He's been putting food on the table for years. That's no small task. He's not as good as his father was, but Mr. Overland had more practice. Jack did have better aim than Jamie, but the albino had had more practice.

"I'm all right,"

Hiccup interrupts. "He's excellent, my father buys his squirrels. He always comments on how the spearhead never pierces the body, only the head. It's the same with the rabbits he sells the butcher. He can even bring down deer." He listed.

This assessment of my skills from Hiccup takes Jack totally by surprise. First, that he ever noticed. Second, that he's talking Jack up. "You noticed?" Jack asked him in wonder, flattered somewhat by the thought.

"Well, yeah. I kept wondering how easy you make it look. And you need to let him know that," Hiccup pointed out. "If he's going to help you, he has to know what you're capable of. Don't underrate yourself,"

Jack snorted at that. "You're one to talk about underrating. Who's the one who keeps saying he can't do anything?" He mock-insult, there was no heat to it. But it rubbed Hiccup the wrong way.

"Well, that's because it's true." Hiccup said easily enough. "Besides, at least if you win, our District will be showered with food and therefore my brother can trade his games for it and my family won't go hungry."

Jack was really fed up with Hiccup undermining himself. "Oh come on, hunting is not just about throwing spears. And you're a genius in traps and snares. Jamie chatted your father up one time and he told that's how you hunted before Snoutlout came in, with your cat playing body guard. And I know you get more game than I can by just trapping them. I rarely get any game with my snares." He snapped at the brunette. "Tell him that. That's something."

Hiccup scrutinized the albino, replaying his words. "And how would you know that?" He questioned.

"I saw you," Jack said. "one time, I found a well-made snare by the clearing I usually found deers at. And then a bit of a ways off from there, I saw you gathering game from a similar snare, and you already had two sacks full. Did you forget you could do that when it was all hunting and relying on your brother?"

Hiccup pouted at his words. But he thought about it, he actually did well with hunting. Of course, it wasn't the way Stoick wished, real hunting and killing, but he did get something out of it. But then again... "That's because he did it faster. It saves time and daylight, not to mention materials. The materials are supposed to be used for smithing anyway, scavengers can't have defective tools, and there's always the need for repairs."

"You're missing the bloody point, kid." After about a minute of this, Aster snapped. "It's something you can do, something that can keep you alive while you're in there. Got it? There's still that need to eat while inside. There's no push of a button for food in there. And Jack, there's no guarantee there will be spears in the arena, but during your private session with the Gamemakers, show them what you can do. Until then, stay clear of them." He turned back to Hiccup then. "In the Training Center, they will have a computer containing facts you should know about what's what in the arena. I recommend Jack to take a look every now and then, he doesn't seem all that smart."

Jack scolwed. "Hey!"

"But I think you're a fast learner, and have good memory and retention skills. Enough maybe for the last three or two days to go over it. Am I right?" That was directed to the brunette.

Hiccup shrugged. "I guess, unless they were only putting A's in my report cards to make me feel better of myself. I don't have a lot of good qualities, so I'm always depreciating myself." He said.

"No kidding." Jack agreed.

"Still, and these goes for both of you, don't reveal how much you can do in front of the other Lights. You go to group training. Spend the time trying to learn something you don't know. Throw an axe. Swing a mace. Learn to tie a decent knot. Save showing what you're best at until your private sessions. Are we clear?" says Aster. Hiccup and Jack nodded.

"But why not though?" The brunette questioned. "Is it about hiding strengths? Like a secret weapon thing?"

Jack chose to answer that. "There's that. But it's also so you don't get recruited."

"Recruited?"

"Some Lights make groups at times, then kill each other when they're all that's left. You'd know that if you ever took the time to watch the games," Aster took it from there. "it's best not to get mix up in that."

Hiccup frowned. "But we could always refuse if it comes to that," he pointed out.

"Yeah, and they'll target you for the first kill. Or even create an_ accident _before then and kill you off," Jack pointed out. "Happen six times so far."

"And they'll definitely get you, Hiccup, if they knew you were clever enough to remember everything that the computer says. Lights who only focuses on killing, especially for the fun of it, rarely takes time to learn them. This snowflake here seems like an example, for the fun of it or not,"

Jack huffed indignantly. "Seriously, what do you have against me?" He growled.

"So they need someone who does. You'd be one of their options, so watch yourself."

Hiccup didn't know why, but finding that he had something others could want or make use of scared him. It wasn't far from being bullied in school, and that happens to him a lot, but still. He didn't like being used that way. He didn't mind helping people, it made him feel like he had worth. It was something he liked doing. Like Jack's bread. Knowing he kept the boy alive because of that, leading them to be the somewhat unlikely friends they are today felt fulfilling. But being forced to assist someone who could already do so much on their own just said _taking advantage_, and that's what he hated the most in this world he lived in now. Like when Berk took advantage of the Dragons, then simply took their wings when they found they couldn't make use of them anymore.

Taking away their freedom because of their selfish need for power and dominance.

"One last thing. In public, I want you by each others side every minute," says Aster. Confused, both start to question it, but the doubled pony-tailed man slams his hand on the table. "Every minute! Its not open for discussion! You agreed to do as I said! You will be together, you will appear amiable to each other. Now get out. Meet Tooth at the elevator at ten for training."

**:::::**

Hiccup got up and stalks back to his room, he lets Jack come in with him. Not that they were following Aster's orders eagerly, but the albino said it was too far, and they were going back out right away in any case for the first session anyway. Toothless was finishing off. Hiccup sat on his bed, Jack going next to him when Toothless came over and scrutinized him. Jack gave it a questioning look in return when the cat threw up the fish, in front of Jack's feet. Hiccup had to laugh.

"What?"

"He's waiting."

"What?"

"He wants to see you eat it."

"What?! You're kidding, why?!"

"I dunno. To see if he can trust you? He made me do it before he let me pet him the first time."

"And why would I need it to trust me?"

"You're stalling."

"No, I'm not. Just don't see the point."

"Coward."

"Am not!"

"Prove it."

Grumbling, Jack picked up the threw up fish and bite a tiny piece off. Toothless narrowed his eyes made and made swallowing gestures. Jack moaned, and swallowed, trying it to keep it down. Hiccup bursted out laughing.

"You actually did it!"

"You made me!"

Toothless approved and finished the fish once more, before jumping unto Jack's lap. Jack eyed it suspicously, finding a cat liking him odd. But he begun to stroke the feline's fur. Hiccup had to admire the scene. Even though neither of the boys minded, acting as friends or not really acting because both felt that they now were, it was strange. Talking up each others strengths, insisting the other take credit for their abilities. Because at some point, they were going to have to knock it off and accept they were to be bitter adversaries. Which Hiccup would prepare to do right now if it wasn't for Aster's instruction that they stick together in training or that Jack was friendly and pointedly ignores the Sole Victor rule. It was Hiccup's own decision, however, to want their good terms to remain. He wouldn't even mind if Jack killed him, if he was gonna get killed anyway. He could ask Jack to do it, it would save him from hating his killer. And he didn't want to leave this world with that feeling. Hatred. He would like to do that thinking of the good left of it, reminiscing the love of his family, Toothless, his friend Heather and yes, Jack, his newest friend... And the albino would definitely let him think of it, and make the death quick if Hiccup ask for it so that he didn't feel a thing.

But he doubted Jack would consent to assisted-suicide. He didn't seem the type.

Hiccup questions the fact that Jack knew much about him even if they only got to talking now. _It's weird, how much he's noticed me. Like the attention he's paid to my snaring._ And apparently, Hiccup has not been as oblivious to the albino teen as he imagined, either. The spear adept. The accuracy skill. He has kept track of the boy he'd given the bread to.

It's almost ten. Hiccup cleans his teeth, giving Jack the spare toothbrush for him to do the same, and they head out. Toothless, who didn't want to be left behind, rested in Jack's arms this time, with Hiccup battling nervousness from thinking of meeting the other Lights. By the time they meet Tooth Hiccup catches himself biting his nails. He stopped at once.

The actual training rooms are above before roof level of the building. With these elevators, the ride is less than a minute. The doors open into an enormous gymnasium filled with various weapons and obstacle courses. Although it's not yet ten, they were the last ones to arrive. The other Lights are gathered in a tense circle. They each have a cloth square with their district number on it pinned to their shirts. While someone pins the number 12 on Hiccup's back, he does a quick assessment. Jack and he were really the only two dressed alike. Matching hoodies, save the colors.

As soon as they join the circle, the head trainer, a tall, short-cropped blond woman named Calhoun steps up and begins to explain the training schedule. Experts in each skill will remain at their stations. They will be free to travel from area to area as they choose, per their mentors instructions. Some of the stations teach survival skills, others fighting techniques. The Lights are forbidden to engage in any combative exercise with one another, however interaction isn't. So trash-talking was all right. There are assistants on hand if they wanted to practice with a partner.

"If you can't handle a blade without slicing yourself, now's a good time to get to it, ladies. Fear is a four letter word," Calhoun huffed. "If you wanna go pee-pee in your big boys' and girls' slacks keep it to yourself. It's creating battle scars time!"

When Calhoun begins to read down the list of the skill stations, Hiccup's eyes can't help flitting around to the other Lights. Its the first time they've been assembled, on level ground, in simple clothes. His heart sinks. Almost all of the boys and at least half of the girls are bigger than he was, even though many of the Lights have never been fed properly. He wasn't that surprise to find there were a whole lot of them that were more physically advantaged compared to him, but it was still disheartening. It can be seen in their bones, their skin, the hollow look in their eyes. Still, he stands straight, and while he's thin and petite, he was healthy. The breads his family were allowed to eat from their labor, meat and plants from the woods combined with the exertion it took to smith tools and bake daily have given him a healthier body than most of those he sees around him.

The exceptions are the kids from the wealthier districts, the volunteers, the ones who have been fed and trained throughout their lives for this moment. The Lights from 1, 2, and 4 traditionally have this look about them. It's technically against the rules to train Lights before they reach Berk but it happens every year. In District 12, they called them the High Lights, or just the Highs. And most likely, the winner will be one of them.

~o~

Jack felt frustrated. The slight advantage he and Hiccup held coming into the Training Center, his icy entrance last night, seems to vanish in the presence of his competition. The other Lights were jealous of them, but not because they were amazing, because their stylists were. Now Jack sees nothing but contempt in the glances of the High Lights. Each must have fifty to a hundred pounds on Hiccup, at least. They project arrogance and brutality. When Calhoun releases them, they head straight for the deadliest-looking weapons in the gym and handle them with ease.

Jack's thinking that it's lucky he had knowledge in weaponry, at least the basics, and Hiccup's excels in evasiveness and how that gave them an edge when said brunette nudges his arm and Jack jumps, jostling Toothless in his arms. Annoyed, the cat hisses at him. Hiccup is still beside him, per Aster's instructions or just plain anxious, the albino couldn't tell.

"Where would you like to start?"

Jack looked around at the High Lights who are showing off, clearly trying to intimidate the field. Then at the others, the underfed, the incompetent, shakily having their first lessons with a knife or an ax.

"Suppose we tie some knots," Jack suggested.

"Suppose we can," says Hiccup, picking up Toothless.

They cross to an empty station where the trainer seems pleased to have students. Some gets the feeling that the knot-tying class is not the Nightmare games hot spot. When he realizes the two knows something about snares, he shows them a simple, excellent trap that will leave a human competitor dangling by a leg from a tree. They concentrated on this one skill for an hour until both boys have mastered it. The trainer kept suggesting they try it on the cat for testing, but Hiccup wouldn't have it. Then they move on to camouflage. Hiccup genuinely seems to enjoy this station, swirling a combination of mud and clay and berry juices around on his pale skin, weaving disguises from vines and leaves. The trainer who runs the camouflage station is full of enthusiasm at his work. Jack just loved the way the boy's emeralds sparkled in delight and how he was enjoying himself for once.

"I do the cakes," he admits to Jack.

"The cakes?" Jack repeated. He had been watching the boy from District 2 send a spear through a dummy's heart from fifteen yards, the boy with the crippled arm falling off some bars, a short-haired silver blond throwing daggers to humanoid-like targets and the Tiger-faced redhead on the computer, fingers moving across the key pad swiftly, for a moment before Hiccup spoke. "What cakes?"

"At home. The iced ones, for the bakery," The brunette says. "the ones they display in the windows."

Jack knew which he meant. Fancy cakes with flowers and pretty things painted in frosting. They're for birthdays and New Year's Day. When they were in the square, Emma always drags Jack over to admire them, although they'd never be able to afford one. Not like Hiccup could burn them and give it to them that easy either. But There's little enough beauty in District 12, though, so Jack can hardly deny her this.

The albino looks more critically at the design on Hiccup's arm and Toothless's fur who actually wanted his master to try it on him. The alternating pattern of light and dark suggests sunlight falling through the leaves in the woods. And the white coating and black strips that suggested Toothless was a tiger like the ones they only saw in picture books. Impressive. Somehow the whole thing; his skill, those inaccessible cakes, the praise of the camouflage expert, makes Jack love the brunette even more.

"It's awesome."

"If only you could frost someone to death,"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you pulled it off in the arena. Anything could happen. Say the arena had a loads of frosting that were poisonous..." begins Jack.

"Say we move on," Hiccup breaks in.

**:::::**

So the next few days pass with Hiccup and Jack going quietly from station to station. They did pick up some valuable skills, from starting fires, to knife throwing, to making shelter. Despite Aster's orders to appear mediocre, Hiccup excels in camouflage, and sweep the edible plants test without blinking an eye. They steer clear of spear-archery and the computer though, wanting to save those for the private sessions.

The Gamemakers appeared early on the first day. Twenty or so men and women dressed in deep purple robes. They sit in the elevated stands that surround the gymnasium, sometimes wandering about to watch them, jotting down notes, other times eating at the endless banquet that has been set for them, ignoring the lot of them. But they do seem to be keeping their eyes on the District 12 Lights. Several times Jack looked up to find a Light from District 2 fixated on Hiccup and Toothless, when they were taking a break. Hiccup still felt he was gonna die soon and bonded with his cat when and as much as he can. It made Jack uneasy and irritated, the way he looked at his crush. But it was probably the green monster acting up. The gamemakers consult with the trainers during the meals as well.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served on the same floor that the only time they ever leave the gymnasium was when it was time to hit the sack, the twenty-four Lights eats in a dining room off the gymnasium. Food is arranged on carts around the room and you serve yourself. The High Lights tend to gather rowdily around one table, as if to prove their superiority, that they have no fear of one another and consider the rest beneath notice. Most of the other Lights sit alone, like lost sheep. No one bother them or says a word to Jack or Hiccup till one particular day.

**:::::**

"Did I ever tell you about the time I was chased by a bear?" Jack asked.

Hiccup shrugged. "No, but it sounds believable," he mused.

"You make that sound like I'm a naughty kid who tells lies all the time."

"I'd believe that, too." Hiccup smirked. "but seriously, what happened?"

Jack tried and animate his face as he recalled the event, a true story, in which he'd foolishly challenged a black bear over the rights to a beehive. Hiccup laughed and asked questions and follow-up questions, snarky remarks here and there. It wasn't even about Aster's instructions anymore. It was just them.

It was the second week of training, while they were taking a shot at knife throwing and Toothless playing with ropes they knotted together, Hiccup whispered to Jack. "I think we have a shadow."

Jack threw his knife, which he's not too bad at actually, if he doesn't have to throw too far, and sees the little girl from District 11 standing back a bit, watching the boys. She's the twelve-year-old, the one who reminded Jack so much of Emma in stature. Up close she looks younger than that, about ten. She has bright, yellow-green, eyes and creamy vanilla white skin and stands tilted up on her toes with her arms slightly extended to her sides, as if ready to take wing at the slightest sound. It's impossible not to think of a bird.

Jack picked up another knife while Hiccup throws. "I think her name's Vanellope," The brunette says softly. "Vanellope Von Schweetz. Even sounds too young to be here."

Jack bit his lip. Vanellope. Emma. Neither of them could tip the scale at seventy pounds soaking wet.

"What can we do about it?" Jack ask his companion, more harshly than intended.

Hiccup sighed. "Nothing to do," he agreed. "Just making conversation."

Now that Jack knows she's there, its hard to ignore the child.

She slips up and joins the boys at different stations. Like Hiccup, she's clever with plants, climbs swiftly, and has good aim. She can hit the target every time with a slingshot. But what is a slingshot against a 220-pound male with a sword?

Jack gets hungry and suggested they stopped for a dinner break. The brunette agreed and they went to the part of the gymanasium where Lights go for eating. As per instruction or not, Jack and Hiccup had been eating together since week one of training, keeping up a friendly conversation during the meals. It's wasn't always easy to find a topic. Talking of home is painful, but they did their best to comfort each other. Talking of the the present unbearable, but it felt normal that they got through it.

Hiccup empties their breadbasket and points out how they have been careful to include types from the districts along with the refined bread of Berk. The Hammer and nail-shaped loaf tinted white frost suggesting glue from District 4, implyinh its Crafts Industry. The crescent moon roll dotted with colorful seeds meant to seem like candy from District 11. Somehow, although its made from the same stuff, it looks a lot more appetizing than the ugly drop biscuits that are the standard fare at District 12.

"And there you have it," says Hiccup, scooping the breads back in the basket. Jack smiled, amused and impressed. But didn't get to comment as the ugly-faced boy from District 2 who was passing by interrupts.

"You certainly know a lot," He smirked. It sends Jack a bad vibe.

Hiccup fidgeted at the attention, keeping Toothless close, for comfort and to make sure he doesn't attack. "Only about bread," he says.

"I doubt that, a gamemaker seemed interested enough," The boy said, leaning over, both hands on the table. "so how about joining our table, cutie?"

Jack and Hiccup's eyes went wide. Firstly, for the comment. Secondly, because something they were avoiding just happened.

Recruitment. Although admittedly, the first comment bothered Jack more.

The brunette managed to find his words, "As tempting as that offer sounds, I'm afraid I have to pass..." he muttered awkwardly.

The boy frowned in disapproval. "And is there a good reason why not? This isn't an offer you can easily reject." He leered.

Hiccup panicked, trying to find a good reason that won't piss the boy. But Jack took it from there, pissed himself. "We're our own team, dude. Just us, no more." He hissed, standing. "so beat it."

The boy glared at Jack, straightening up and stared him down even if he was only an inch taller. Then he turned his attention back to Hiccup. "Not good reason enough, come on, small fry." He grabbed the brunette, Hiccup yelped as he was dragged away, dropping Toothless in the process. Furious, Jack went after them but the boy punched him upon pursuit. There weren't any supervision, just the Lights. The Trainers were at their stations and didn't see.

Hiccup struggled and Toothless pounced, clawing the ugly boy's leg. He cried in pain, and gave his leg a kick, flinging the feline away and into a balcony's edge. Hiccup's eyes widened in terror. "TOOTHLESS!" He kneed the boy in the groin and rushed over searching for his pet, but they were so high up and he can no longer see him.

Getting over the pain, the boy went for recapture. "C'mon, cats land on their feet." He pulled him by the shoulders. Hiccup turned around and shoved hard, tears in his eyes.

"LET GO!" Surprise by the volume, the boy let go but because of Hiccup still shoving, the force made him flip back unto the railings. "Eh?!"

Jack's eyes widened in terror. "NOO!" He ran for the balcony, as if that could change anything. "HICCUP!"

~o~

Hiccup screamed as gravity attacked him. Even though he knew flailing his arms wildly wasn't something that could help his current predicament, he kept doing it anyway. Because seriousy, what else can he do? Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered why the electric field that Jack told him about when they were in the roof didn't shoot him or Toothless back up and considered maybe the system might be glitching. But the most part of his mind is too busy telling his nerves to send his brain commands to use his vocal chords and scream.

"AHH!"

Hiccup waited for death, if he was in his calm self, he'd gladly accept it than having to go through the Nightmare in the arena. But it never came, because he was caught and was being brought back up. When the brunette got over his initial shock, his eyes widened and he tried catching his breath from all that screaming. When he was in his right mind, he searched for the reason he wasn't falling and wondered why the electric field didn't hurt him like it seemed to hurt Jack.

That's when he realized it wasn't the electric field. And when he lost his breath once more.

A Dragon had him in its paws! And it was flying, which wasn't even the most amazing part. It wasn't just any Dragon, it was a Dragon that gives a whole new meaning to what his District token is.

It was the Nightfury!

The next thing Hiccup knew, he was tossed back to the balcony where a crowd had gathered of Lights, Trainers and Gamemakers alike, and something kept him steady when his feet met the ground. But the Nightfury kept flying, to the sky then disappearing to the night. Hiccup's wide eyes never left the creature until it vanished out of his sight completely.

The Berk people of the crowd made a huge fuss over what they saw, the actual Nightfury making its appearance after how many years! How was it possible? Why did it happen when there weren't any other Dragons involve? Is there another attack expected? It was a cause for concern.

Hiccup was getting over his shock and his eyes started to focus once more, and when it did, he was staring back to another pair of eyes. Blue ones. Oh, the one that kept him steady? Yeah, it was Jack.

"HICCUP!" Jack gasped. "ARE YOU OKAY?! Man, dude! The Nightfury! Among all things, a Dragon saved you!"

Hiccup blinked then he went back to reality when he remembered something. He grasped Jack's shoulder, panic in his eyes. "TOOTHLESS?!" He demanded. "Is he...? Did the Nightfury...? Was he also...?"

Jack bit his lip, unsure how to proceed or what to say. "Hiccup..." It was all he managed. But it was enough. Hiccup broke into tears and sobbed against his shoulder. Jack frowned and put his arms around the smaller boy.

The moment was short-lived as the Gamemakers were asking and prodding the smaller boy about what happened. Jack growled at them to leave him alone, but they paid him no heed. Still, no matter what questions they asked, it wasn't like he could answer didn't know why the Dragon saved him, how it got there, or where it even came from. And with District 12 being the backwater District of all, they had to talk his word about it and do speculations later. Afterwards, it got too much, too overwhelming for Hiccup. His best friend was gone.

The boy fainted in Jack's arms.

**A/N: Okay. So the District 2 boy bit and the Nightfury appearance is totally my idea. I can claim that. Still I don't own the Nightfury or the Hunger Games plotline. Suzanne Collins does. Dreamworks owning the former. So knowing who Rue is, I'm sure you know who Thresh is. Any guess for who District 2 boy is, in other words, Cato? Aoshinobi I hope I made it in time for your mountain range trip thing. And I hope it's a nice parting gift. By the way, if you guys have suggestions for future castings, like Castor, Pollux, Jackson (no, not Jackson ROTG Jackson Hunger Games Trilogy: Mockingjay) let me know. But no need for castings for Finnick, Annie, Coin, or that woman who replaced President Snow and Coin at the end of Mockingjay (ergo, the new President at the end of Mockingjay before Katniss and Peeta returned home), and that smart guy in Catching Fire who later make the weapons and bombs. Beetee was it? Whatever. I got them covered. Still unsure of others like Glimmer, Clove (if you got the guess right for who Cato is she has to be somehow compatible to him), and that old lady in Catching Fire, Maggs? Yeah, I was going for that turtle guy in Kung-Fu panda. The castings have to be from Animated movies. So examples:**

**-RISE OF THE GUARDIANS (duh)**

**-HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (double duh. Dreamworks Dragons Series characters counted)**

**-The Croods (honestly not much choices there)**

**-Hotel Transylvania**

**-Kung Fu Panda (if it's in the series, then please explain the character to me because I might not know him/her. And yes, I'll humanoid them. Duh, I did that already to Tigress even if I haven't officially casted her yet. Tigress = Fox-face. ergo Tiger-face)**

**-Tinkerbelle**

**-Anastasia**

**-Treasure Planet**

**-Frozen**

**-Avatar, the Last Airbender (heh. Only non-movie animation)**

**These are the animations I love the most and I hope you guys at least heard of. And no, game animations like Kingdom hearts or FF not allowed. **

**I don't like to make OCs. And please. Don't ask about the cat. I'm always tempted to spoil. I know what I'm doing.**


	7. The Surprise

**A/N: Okay I want to see if I can make it till the first two chapters of the arena scene before I have to go to Prison that is school. (Don't get me wrong. I like school. My course is Education. But terror teachers/professors are the worst) I'm just so hook on this au for now. Oh, but I'll get back on my other au's after I reached the arenas. I'm on a roll here, strike when the iron is hot.**

**Turbo (Wreck-it-Ralph) - Claudius Templesmith/Seneca Crane**

**And if you guys can make suggestions for future castings, refer to the list of animations below for the character universe.**

**-RISE OF THE GUARDIANS (duh)  
-HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (double duh. Dreamworks Dragons Series characters counted)  
-Tangled  
-Brave  
-The Croods (honestly not much choices there)  
-Hotel Transylvania  
-Kung Fu Panda (if it's in the series, then please explain the character to me because I might not know him/her. And yes, I'll humanoid them. Duh, I did that already to Tigress even if I haven't officially casted her yet. Tigress = Fox-face. ergo Tiger-face)  
-Tinkerbelle  
-Anastasia  
-Treasure Planet  
-Frozen  
-Avatar, the Last Airbender (heh. Only non-movie animation)**

**The Surprise**

_**"HICCUP!" Jack gasped. "ARE YOU OKAY?! Man, dude! The Nightfury! Among all things, a Dragon saved you!"**_

_**Hiccup blinked then he went back to reality when he remembered something. He grasped Jack's shoulder, panic in his eyes. "TOOTHLESS?!" He demanded. "Is he...? Did the Nightfury...? Was he also...?"**_

_**Jack bit his lip, unsure how to proceed or what to say. "Hiccup..." It was all he managed. But it was enough. Hiccup broke into tears and sobbed against his shoulder. Jack frowned and put his arms around the smaller boy.**_

_**The moment was short-lived as the Gamemakers were asking and prodding the smaller boy about what happened. Jack growled at them to leave him alone, but they paid him no heed. Still, no matter what questions they asked, it wasn't like he could answer didn't know why the Dragon saved him, how it got there, or where it even came from. And with District 12 being the backwater District of all, they had to talk his word about it and do speculations later. Afterwards, it got too much, too overwhelming for Hiccup. His best friend was gone.**_

_**The boy fainted in Jack's arms.**_

**:::::**

Back on the District 12 floor, Aster and Tooth usually grilled Jack and Hiccup about every moment of the day. What they did, who watched them, how the other Lights size up. Elsa and Anna weren't usually around, but not this time. Then again, Jack didn't usually return with Hiccup passed out in his arms as he carried him bridal style.

"What happened?!" Tooth rushed over, motherly taking Hiccup's face in her hands. "did he get in a fight?"

If she took the time to calm down, she'd see that the fact that there were no bruises on the boy or even a scratch would rule out the suggestion. Instead, Jack shook his head dejectedly, and explained what happened.

Anna placed a hand on her lips. "Guess that wasn't a rumor, about the electric field going haywire for once or the appearance of the Nightfury." She muttered. "I hope there won't be another attack..."

The man took interest in another part of the story. "Recruited, huh?" Aster pursed his lips. "honestly, I didn't expect him to top you on that first. But it's believable," He looked around. "where's the feline dingo always tagging along?"

Jack's shoulders shook, falling to his knees but carefully as to not drop the boy in his arms. Actually, he hugged him tightly, burying his face on Hiccup's neck. "Toothless... The boy from two... The balcony... The Nightfury didn't get them both..." He choked. Apparently, the impossible happened. He became attached to the feline as well.

Elsa frowned, bending in front of him and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. She didn't say anything, because sometimes, there were no words needed to be said.

"He could be okay," Anna broke in weakly. "I mean, cats land on their feet right?"

Jack didn't respond to that. With the training almost coming to an end, the interview fast approaching, and therefore so was their entrance to the arena, the last thing he wanted was fragile hope.

He brought Hiccup to his room, and tucked him in. But he didn't leave, he didn't want Hiccup to wake up alone. Definitely not after what happened. Jack caressed the brunette's face, and he was surprised when Hiccup reached up and took it.

Jack whispered softly, "Hiccup?"

"Jack," Hiccup replied weakly. "can... can you sleep here tonight?"

Jack widened his eyes. He would blush, but he ws too surprise to hear Hiccup even suggest that. Not that he had a problem with the request. Definitely not.

Hiccup misunderstood the facial expression though. "Sorry," He dropped his hand. "it's just that I'm used to T-Toothless sleeping by my side... Sorry, I'm acting like a baby now, forget what I said," He turned over, his back facing Jack. In the course of the Nightmare Games, this was the first time this happened. A pet getting killed. And really, why did this have to happen to Hiccup? All those other Light pet owners only brought their pets for the attention, because Lights rarely had pets to bring at all until it got overrated. Maybe there were some who did bring them because they wanted to while considering its attention advantage. But Hiccup really only brought him for comfort, because he was his best friend.

The albino said nothing and wordlessly lifted the covers and climbed into the bed with Hiccup, who stiffened when he felt an arm around his waist. "Sorry," Jack muttered shyly. "I don't know where else to put it. Does it bother you?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Now that you said the reason, no, not really." If anything, the brunette felt relaxed. But not enough to numb the pain. "I'd be more bothered anyway if I were alone... Then I'd never get a wink of sleep..." It wasn't easy, and how would it be? His best frined was gone. And Toothless was the one who understood him the most, better than anyone so far in the course of his life.

"You can't even sleep now eitherway, can you?"

But seemingly, Jack is starting to.

"If I can't, it definitely isn't gonna be your fault..."

Jack looked thoughtful. "How about a lullabye?" He asked and continued before Hiccup could complain, "And no, it's not like I'm babying you. If you think that, well, it's just us. I won't tell anyone,"

Hiccup thought about it. He wasn't sure it would help, but he was curious. What was it like, to hear Jack sing? "Try it." He allowed.

Jack was somewhat surprise that the brunette agreed to it. But it made him happy, because he was almost sure it would help. "Hope you don't laugh," He cleared his throat.

"I'm a teenage boy about to be put to sleep like how babies usually are, and you're telling me not to laugh?"

Jack smirked, at least the boy was half-okay. He could still afford to be snarky. "Here goes then,

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, A soft green pillow. _

_Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes._

_And when again they open, the sun will rise."_

Jack felt fuzzy in the insides. It was the first time he ever sang this song to anyone but Emma. There was something inimate about the song. That being said however, he didn't mind singing it to Hiccup.

Hiccup had turned over when Jack started, raising his one arm and pressing it against his forehead. He actually smiled, somehow liking the sound of Jack's smooth, somewhat husky voice. It was soothing. And he wouldn't doubt that Jack sang this song all the time for his sister.

_"Here it's safe. Here it's warm._

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm._

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them them true."_

Jack prepared his heart for this part, and hoped Hiccup wouldn't take it badly.

_"Here is the place where I love you,"_

Hiccup blushed and felt his stomach do a relay race, but he shook it off, _It was just the lyrics, _He told himself. He closed his eyes, listening to the lyrics and remembering Toothless... How he'll miss him...

_"Deep in the meadow, hidden far away._

_A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray_

_Forget your woes and let your troubles lay_

_And when again it's morning, they'll wash away."_

Hiccup rested his head on Jack's shoulder, snuggling up and yawning as the song almost came near to it's end. Jack brushed loose strands off the brunette's locks from his forehead. The brunette chalked it up to some brotherly gesture since he did have a younger sister. It was just that

_"Here it's safe, here it's warm._

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm._

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true._

_Here is the place where I love you."_

Hiccup smiled a bit. "Can you keep humming that, then?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

Jack smiled, seeing that he helped somewhat. "Sure, no problem. And Hiccup?" He patted his head. "you're not a baby for feeling the way you do now. Actually, it takes maturity to value life. Don't worry. I'll be here to get you through this."

Hiccup said nothing at first, just finding Jack's remark comforting. He smiled and snuggled into his arms as Jack begun to hum. "You're a great friend, Jack." He muttered sleepily. "thanks for being here."

Jack tried to get pass the fact that he was friend-zoned and simply focus on the fact that Hiccup appreciated his prescence. His existence. That was more than he ever hoped to get ever.

After a while of humming, Hiccup did manage to fall asleep. Jack just looked at the brunette's face, wishing so much he could be his. The boy was just so adorable, if only they live in a different world that had no Nightmare Games, things might be different. Maybe even easier.

But they do live in this world. No matter what, Jack was gonna lose Hiccup whether he won or lost the games.

"Jack?"

Jack jumped, startled. Luckily, the brunette didn't stir. He looked up and saw his stylist. Elsa beckoned for him. Carefully as to not wake the sleeping boy, Jack got out of bed and went out.

"I've been in your room but you weren't there,"

"Sorry about that, Hiccup asked me to stay."

"You'd stay in either way, all things considered." Elsa teased lightly.

Jack blushed. "That cannot be more true," He admitted. "Anyway, what's up?"

"It's Toothless," Elsa said quietly. "I don't want to get your hopes up if there's nothing, but better yours first before Hiccup. Here in Berk, facts are unless the body is found, nothing can be declared."

"Huh?"

"I don't think he's dead."

~o~

Pitchner Black waited in his office when the Head Gamemaker, Turbo K.C. Time, entered to give a status report of the things going on for the games, showing him the clips captured for airing approval. Pitchner kept his eyes on the Lights of District 12. While they weren't the most assuming pair, something about them unnerved him. Maybe it was the fact of their closeness, how they didn't behave the way Lights normally do. Either arrogant, high and mighty confidence or spineless, vulnerable cowards, each of Pair of Lights avoids close ties. The ones who usually formed groups didn't count, it was part of their arrogant behavior pattern. And it was all for show. As per Turbo's reports, they were like that camera rolling or not. Usually spending time in each other's room before going to sleep.

Despite Turbo's opinion, Pitchner saw them as a threat.

Looking at this from a viewer's perspective, District or Berk wise, they'd see the two as a beckon of hope, a spark of change. It wouldn't do for the President, the District suppose to live in fear, not united. That was the purpose of The Nightmare Games. To remind people selfless acts don't exist, that no one can trust another. Every man for himself.

It was a threat almost as bad as the Nightfury. And considering that, one of the Lights from 12 was rescued by one.

Pitchner doubted there was any affiliation with the two, but that didn't make him less suspicious. It could simply be a coincidence, the Nightfury and, yes, he knew about the District token given, but he made sure all Dragons were wingless before being sent back to the wild. Except the Nightfury. They were unable to capture it. A symbol of rebellion. And he saved the brunette of twelve with the or no, he saw it as a sign.

He never knew about the cat that fell before the brunette.

~o~

Hiccup moved numbly the following training sessions, a sullen expression about him. Despite Aster's instructions, he started on the computer already, taking in as much information as he can. But with the numbness, his nerves were somewhat relaxed and he was able to take in a lot. Needless to say, after the incident, the District 2 boy didn't bother Hiccup anymore. For some reasons, Jack kept his distance. Unable to look the boy in the face, ashamed for his inability to do anything. Another oppurtunity of returning the favor going down the drain. He didn't even visit the brunette's room anymore. They still stayed near enough, but never conversing anymore. Aster begrudgingly let it be.

Hiccup still couldn't believe Toothless was gone. He wished he never took him along now.

On the last day of the third week of training, the Gamemakers started to call the Lights out of lunch for the private sessions with the Gamemakers. District by district, first the boy, then the girl Light. In Jack and Hiccup's case, either would do. As usual, District 12 is slated to go last. The boys linger in the dining room, unsure where else to go. No one comes back once they have left. As the room empties, the silence became too oppressing. Jack, however, seemed excited for something, so they agreed he'd go first. He seemed like he needed to get something done with. By the time they call Vanellope, the boys were left alone.

Suddenly, two kids sneaked in. A white-haired stout boy with a furry white hat and matching furry clothes with a multi-colored haired girl with pigtails and colorful dress. They were chasing each other around, not seeming to see the two boys. Jack, and even Hiccup despite himself, widened their eyes. Berk people weren't allowed in the Training Center's building, let alone this room. How did two Berk kids get inside even?

The boy pulled on the girl's hair and the girl whined loudly, they kept trying to hit each other. Jack gave Hiccup a look. The brunette shrugged, cocking his head towards the tykes. The albino got up and straightened them out. "Hey, hey! Knock it off you two, it's not nice to fight." He pulled them apart.

The two kids blinked wide eyes and suddenly got excited, as if star-struck. Jack blinked.

"Hey!" The girl chirped. "you're from District 12, right?"

Jack and Hiccup exchanged glances, utterly confused and unsure what to do. The brunette came up to the kids. "Yes, that's right." He answered.

"So who are you two then?" Jack follow-up questioned.

"I'm Phil, this is my sister, Baby T." The boy answered eagerly. "we saw you in the entrance parade! You two were awesome, we're your fans! Can we get your autographs?"

"Yeah, please? You guys look like the nicest ones!"

Fans. Jack almost forgot that the people of Berk merely saw this as games, a sporting event where things happens for their entertainment. They never considered that people were losing their lives in the arena for such stupid purpose. Somehow though, they couldn't bring themselves to hate the kids. They are who their parents are, and seriously, who can blame the kids for that way of thinking?

Hiccup didn't want to deal with this though. Not now. Jack knew this. "You're not suppose to be here, are you?"

"Well no, not really," Baby T. flushed. "But we can get away with it, we know one of the Gamemakers."

Phil broke in. "And you saw the Nightfury, right?" He said excitedly. "It must have been awesome! And you must have been good since it didn't eat you,"

Hiccup raised a brow, considering this. Was the Nightfury some tale Berk told their kids? Some kind of enemy to make them behave? He had to right that. "Actually," he managed a small smile, kneeling down legs tucked underneathe in front of the kids. "you got it wrong. The Nightfury, any Dragons actually, don't even eat humans. They're peaceful creatures, unless someone attacks them first. They defend themselves, and that's it."

The kids blinked at the brunette. Jack watched carefully and with interest. "Really?" Phil asked.

"That's not what we were told," Baby T. pouted. "are you lying?"

Hiccup chuckled. "Unless the book I read was lying, then I'm not." He said. "besides, it did save me. And I didn't do anything for him, that has to mean they're good creatures,"

Phil raised a brow. "But mama and papa says that President Pitchner said they were enemies," He frowned. "That they attacked our home. Why'd they do that if they were good? What's the truth?"

Hiccup bit his lip, unsure how to answer that without seeming like he was going against Berk. Then again, he was going to die soon. "I guess that only means President Pitchner attacked them first."

The kids nodded slowly. "I'll go ask papa later, then." Baby T. smiled. "I hope either one of you wins,"

Hiccup laughed without humor. "I don't, not really." He said. Jack frowned at that.

"Huh? Why not?" Phil cocked his head confusely. "I thought you'll die if you lose. You want to lose knowing that?"

"I don't want to fight,"

Phil cocked his head. "But why not? You're a Light,"

"Because it's normally wrong. No, it is wrong."

"But that's what you Lights do."

"That's what I'm forced to do, it doesn't change the fact that it's wrong, now," He said, putting both hands on their shoulders. "do this for me, okay? Take care of each other, because it feels nicer if you do something for others than yourself alone, and tell your friends that. Is it okay if I ask for that in exchange for the autographs?" The kids enthusiasticaly agreed. He tousled their hair and took their pens, granting them the autographs. Leaving a message even, _BE SELFLESS._

Jack widened his eyes, alarmed and wondering if Hiccup knew what he was doing. The kids left then. "Hiccup," he started. "why did you do that?"

Hiccup shrugged, not really looking at Jack. "Why wouldn't I? I just thought...They are kids, they'll grow up. And maybe... They can change how the world is now, everything, any change starts out somewhere..." He said lowly. "maybe someday, people will see that we didn't need these games, I just helped it along. It's something I can do, at least."

Jack didn't say anything more. Hiccup technically dropped a bomb, making Berk look bad to their own kids, but as long as no one heard about it, it wouldn't explode. Besides, he agreed that change can start anywhere. And he believed Hiccup could change anything.

They sit in silence until they summon Jack. He rises.

"Since I won't be coming back when your turn is up... Here," The albino turned to the boy. "Remember what Aster said about being sure to show your strengths with emphasis." The words come out of Jack's mouth lowly. "you got this Hiccup, it'll be fine."

"Thanks." Hiccup says. "You... Throw straight."

Jack nodded.

**:::::**

After about fifteen minutes, they call Hiccup's name. He smooths his hair, set his shoulders back, and walk into the gymnasium. Instantly, He knew he was in trouble. They've been there too long, the Gamemakers. Sat through twenty-three other demonstrations. Had too much wine, most of them. Want more than anything to go home.

Theres nothing Hiccup can do but continue with the plan He just wanted to go anyway, and sulk over Toothless and the poor grade he'll get. Hiccup walks to the computer, sets the computer to test him on half the information in the computer for only ten minutes. The computer, for the Private session, creates a hologram simultion of areas of the arena. They were realistic enough, even able to touch. Hiccup answered them in flourish, flawlessly, without hesitating or second-guessing himself. He ate-sort of ate since they were still holograms-the edible tree roots, used a chemical on lake before drinking. Drinking on a lake directly when he saw the chemical wasn't needed, so on, so on. After, he made to leave, not even caring if they paid attention or not.

But a Gamemakers questioned it. "That's it?" He asked. "are you even trying to win?"

This made Hiccup stop, turnng back to the Gamemakers. "What?"

"You can't expect to impress us with your intellect,"

"If you get hungry for instance. You'll be disoriented and can't think straight."

"We need Lights to entertain. Are you even prepared for the games?"

Hiccup clenched his fists. "Killing people... Is not a game," He got a knife. "And I won't kill for entertainment," He threw it to the Gamemakers direction, he thought there was an electric field around them to deflect it anyway so he was surprised when the weapon went through, stabbing into the apple a gamemaker held.

He fell off his chair, the others stared widely at the brunette and some made fools of themselves. There was no electric field.

Hiccup attempted to display that he was not surprise. That he intended to do that, not showing his own horror. "Thank you for your consideration," He bowed and quickly left the room without permission.

**:::::**

Hiccup brushed past the gaping Sandys who guard the elevators and hits the number twelve button with his fist. The doors slide together and he zipped upward. He actually made it back to his floor before the tears start running down his cheeks. He can hear the others calling him from the sitting room, but he rushed down the hall into his room, bolt the door, and fling himself onto his bed. Then he really begins to sob.

Even wished Jack's shoulder was there.

_Now I've done it! Now I've ruined everything! Hiccup the Worthless strikes again!_ If he'd stood even a ghost of chance, it would have vanished when he sent that knife flying at the Gamemakers. _What will they do to me now? Arrest me? Execute me? Cut my tongue and turn me into a Sandys so I can wait on the future Lights of Burgess?_ _What was I thinking, taunting and talking back to the Gamemakers?_ Of course, he wasn't, Hiccup just shot at that apple because he was so angry at the idea of being forced into this. He wasn't trying to kill one of them. He didn't want to sink to their level, making it look like taking lives was as easy as taking candy from a baby. _Oh, what does it matter? Its not like I was going to win the Games anyway._ What really scares the brunette is what they might do to his family, how they might suffer now because of his impulsiveness. Will they take their few belongings, or send his parents to prison and Snoutlout to the community home, or kill them? They wouldn't kill them, would they?

He should have stayed and apologized. Or laughed, like it was a big joke. Then maybe Hiccup would have found some leniency. But instead he stalked out of the place in the most disrespectful manner possible.

Aster and Tooth are knocking on his door. Hiccup shouts for them to go away and eventually they do. It takes at least an hour for him to cry himself out. Then he just laid curled up on the bed, stroking the silken sheets, watching the sun set. He looked at the empty space of his bed in front of him. How he missed Toothless...

At first, Hiccup expected guards to come for him. But as time passes, it seems less likely. He calmed down. They still need a two Lights from District 12, don't they? If the Gamemakers want to punish him, they can do it publicly. Wait until he was in the arena and sic starving wild animals on him. Hiccup can bet they'll make sure he won't have another chance to show them up. Before that though, they might give him a score so low, no one in their right mind would sponsor the boy. That's what will happen tonight. Since the training isn't open to viewers, except some cutscenes for the so called theme song opening, the Game-makers will announce a score for each player. It gives the audience a starting place for the betting that will continue throughout the Games. The number, which is between one and twelve, one being irredeemably bad and twelve being unattainably high, signifies the promise of the Light. The mark is not a guarantee of which person will win. Its only an indication of the potential a Light showed in training. Often, because of the variables in the actual arena, high-scoring Lights go down almost immediately. And a few years ago, the boy who won the Games only received a three. Still, the scores can help or hurt an individual Light in terms of sponsorship. If no one sponsors Hiccup, well, he already knew his odds of staying alive decrease to almost zero from the start.

**:::::**

When Tooth taps on the door to call him to dinner, Hiccup decided he may as well go. The scores will be televised tonight. It's not like he can hide what happened forever. He goes to the bathroom and wash his face, but it's still red and splotchy.

Everyones waiting at the table, even Elsa and Anna. He wished the stylists hadn't shown up because for some reason, he didn't like the idea of disappointing them. Its as if he threw away all the good work they did on the opening ceremonies without a thought. Hiccup avoided looking at anyone as he takes tiny spoonfuls of fish soup. The saltiness reminds me of my tears. The taste of fish reminded him of Toothless.

The adults begin some chitchat about the weather forecast, and Hiccup realizes something. Where was Jack?

Then, as theyre serving the main course, Hiccup heard Aster speak. "Okay, enough small talk, just how bad were you today?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Isn't Jack suppose to be here for this too?" Hiccup stalled. But it was a fair question.

Elsa jumps in. "Aster already spoke to him about it. By the time he showed up, no one even bothered to look at him. He said they were singing some kind of drinking song, so, he threw some spears in perfect aim. Then they dismissed him," Hiccup gave her a questioning look. "he had something he needed to check on, he'll be here later."

"And you, mate?" prods Aster.

Hiccup groaned. "I threw a knife at the Gamemakers."

Everyone stops eating. "You _what_?" The horror in Tooth's voice confirms Hiccup's worse suspicions.

"I threw a knife at them. Not exactly at them. In their direction. Its like what Elsa said about Jack's, I was on the computer and they pretty much ignored me, I was simply going to leave when they taunted me about not trying hard enough, and not impressing them or seemed reliable enough to put on a show... I just lost my head, they made it sound like killing should be easy as breathing... so I stabbed an apple out of one's stupid hands." Hiccup shrugged tiredly. "so much for sticking to the computer,"

Anna seemed to approve of the boy's actions. "And what did they say?" she asked carefully.

"Nothing. I don't know. I walked out after that,"

"Without being dismissed?" Elsa raised a brow.

"I dismissed myself,"

"Well, that's that," says Aster. Then he butters a roll.

"Do you think they'll arrest me?"

"Doubt it. Be a pain to replace you at this stage, Lights of each district are to be presented as pairs, no way around it."

"What about my family?" Hiccup frowned at the thought. "Will they punish them?"

"Don't think so. Wouldn't make much bloody sense. See, they'd have to reveal what happened in the Training Center for it to have any worthwhile effect on the population." Aster shrugged indifferently. "People would need to know what you did. But they can't since it's secret, so it'd be a waste of effort, more likely they'll make your life hell in the arena."

"Well, they've already promised to do that to them any way," Anna rolled her eyes.

"Very true," Aster agreed. And Hiccup realizes the impossible has happened. They have actually cheered him up. Aster picks up a pork chop with his fingers, and rips off a hunk of meat and starts to chuckle. "What were their faces like?"

Hiccup can feel the edges of his mouth tilting up. "Shocked. Terrified. Uh, ridiculous, some of them." An image pops into his mind. "One man tripped backward into a bowl of punch."

Aster guffaws and they all start laughing except Tooth and Elsa, although even they are suppressing a smile. "Well, it serves them right. It's their job to pay attention to you. And just because you come from District Twelve is no excuse to ignore you." Elsa agreed.

"I'll get a very bad score,"

Anna shrugged. "Scores only matter if they're very good, no one pays much attention to the bad or mediocre ones. For all they know, you could be hiding your talents to get a low score on purpose. People use that strategy," she said.

"I hope that's how people interpret the four I'll probably get," says Hiccup. "If that. And that's only if they're feeling generous."

Then the boy realizes that he's starving. He cuts off a piece of pork, dunk it in mashed potatoes, and started eating.

_It's okay. My family is safe. And if they are safe, no real harm has been done. _

**:::::**

After dinner, they go to sitting room to watch the scores announced on television. First they show a photo of the Light, then flash their score below it. The High Lights naturally get in the eight-to-ten range. Most of the other players average a five. Surprisingly, little Vanellope comes up with a seven. Hiccup didn't know what she showed the judges, but she's so tiny it must have been impressive.

District 12 comes up last, as usual. Jack pulls an eight so at least a couple of the Gamemakers must have been watching him. Hiccup relaxed for a moment, feeling happy for the boy who still wasn't there. He then digged his fingernails into his palms as his face comes up, expecting the worst.

Then they're flashing the number eleven on the screen.

Eleven!

Anna lets out a squeal, Tooth embraces Hiccup in her relief, Elsa smiles his way and Aster is slapping him on the back and cheering and congratulating him. But it doesn't seem real.

"There must be a mistake. How . . . how could that happen?" Hiccup stammered.

"Guess they liked your temper," he says. "They've got a show to put on. They need some players with some heat. Guess you gave them entertainment after all, mate."

Elsa placed her hands on her lap. "Jack's not too bad himself. And he should be impressive, he is Jackson, the Living Frostbite," she said.

And said Frostbite enters, a plain orange-red box with a green ribbon on his arms. "I heard all about it in the elevator voiceover broadcast," He had a wide grin. "Eleven! Hiccup, how on earth did you manage that?" He strided across the room, placing the box down for a moment, and practically lifted the boy up in the air. Hiccup yelped, clearly not expecting that. He placed his hands on Jack's shoulder; he didn't trust the boy wouldn't accidentally drop him so he needed a leverage just incase. "Bah! Who cares?! I knew you could do it!"

The others watched, amused. Anna giggled. "Get a room, you two."

Finally, Jack places th boy back down. Hiccup crossed his arms and smirked at him. "You're not so bad yourself, Eight." He returned the praise.

"Please, nothing on you,"

Hiccup shook his head, a hand on his hip. "Where were you anyway?" _I could've needed you earlier... _But he didn't say that.

At that, Jack smiled softly. "I got you a present, guess we can count it as a congratulatory gift, Elsa helped." He picked up the box once more.

Hiccup raised a brow, giving Elsa a once over. And it was the first time he saw her with a big smile. Hiccup turned back to the taller boy. "A present? Jeez, you could've told me we were exchanging gifts. I could've drawn you something." He pouted lightly.

"Well, I wasn't sure I could get it. And I'm so glad I did, still. I hope you don't mind that it's a bit... for a lack of better term, flawed." He placed the box on Hiccup's arms. "Careful with it,"

Hiccup speculated the box quick, realizing the box had holes. He sighed, he knew what holed boxes meant. Something had to breath while in it. "Jack, thanks, but I really don't want a replacement for Toothless..." That could never happen. The brunette looked down.

"Who said anything about replacing?" Jack spoke tenderly. "At least open it before you make a decision,"

Hiccup sighed, and he lifted the lid. And his heart nearly stopped. There, inside the box, curled up tiredly in sleep, was Toothless. Immediately Hiccup's eyes filled with tears, seeing that he was alive, although a little injured, and breathing. He carefully placed the box down to the nearest table, lifting the cat out and back to his arms. Toothless remained asleep but not forever, he can still wake. He couldn't believe this. Tooth dabbed her teary eyes with a tissue Aster handed to her, Anna was asking for details from her sister in how they found him.

Hiccup was doing the same to Jack. "J-Jack, h-h-how... wh-when..." He couldn't find his words.

"Don't ask. Long story. Tale for another day," Jack held up his hands, as if in surrender. "Let's just say..." He went forward and took Hiccup's hand, rubbing circles on his palm with his thumb. "...I didn't want you to lose your best friend. I like it better when you're happy..." He then chuckled and took Toothless from him. "And I have to say, I didn't want to lose this little guy either. Gotten fond of him,"

Hiccup stared at the boy, not knowing what to say to express his gratitude. So he just showed it by tackling the surprised and unsuspecting white-haired boy into the couch in a full-forced embrace, crying into his shoulder like he wanted to earlier, only this time it was out of happiness.

He didn't lose his best friend after all, in fact, he just got another one.

**A/N: Yes folks, Phil the Yeti and Babytooth are minor characters here. And yes, I will explain how they found the feline at one of the cave scenes. Okay, some PMs I get in my inbox from a reader says that Hiccup couldn't pull off Peeta's articulation skill with words. Maybe not in the same way, but I think he can. Especially after watching the series, when he's leading the Dragon academy, acting all leader-like, not to mention the moral lesson voiceover narration he does with words plus the way he got th twins to make nice in the 'Twinsanity' ep.**

**So yeah, the Phil and Baby T. scene, totally mine. Hunger Games plot line not. Yes, the K.C. initial in Turbo's name stands for King Candy. I just thought since he's the enemy in the Wreck-it-Ralph universe, which is a video game dimension... Yeah, two plus two is four. It fits, at least I think so. No complains please about my lack of updates to other stories! I haven't abandoned them. If you complain, I might delete (okay maybe not that) **


	8. The Interview

**A/N: So close to the arena! Whoo-hoo! Interview chapter at last! You all know what that means! Oh yeah, I'm not really planning for a HiccupXJackXJamie triangle thing for the Catching Fire part of this story, hence 'CATCHING FROSTBITE' being the title, because I intend to make Jamie get on with Astrid much later, and have him and Jack end up in a much happier note than Katniss and Gale's less than clean and mostly cold break by the end of the Mockingjay part, title being 'NIGHTFURY' and they will all be in this story. No more separating so you'll only have to follow one story. Besides, Hiccup's the one struggling with feelings here, it won't help if Jack won't be persistent and end up being confused in choosing between Hiccup and Jamie. I'm a JackXJamie friendship-brother supporter, and that's it. So in regards to the start of this chapter, don't think too much into it. They're just best friends. Don't worry though, I already thought of what interference barrier there will be for the Catching Frostbite segment of this Hunger Games au so Jack and Hiccup's relationship will be more meaningful as they have to struggle with this barrier I thought of. Relationships usually last longer when the couple went through a lot to make it work out.**

**No offense to those reading this, but I really don't like DagCup (because Daggur doesn't deserve Hic's purity) or AlviCup (because that's just plain pedophile). Sorry just had to say it. So fair warning to those DagCup or AlviCup fans, never read my stories unless you can handle Daggur and Alvin constantly being maniac antagonists who'll always try to get in between Jack and Hiccup, and later end up dying cause I can't have someone scarring the adorable brunette and have them live through it. Please don't flame me for this. It's not like I'm telling you not to read the shipping anymore. **

**Again, please Review and let me know your thoughts. I esspecially like PM-ing those who leave rather long ones. I like having conversations with you guys. Thanks to a PM conversation with blazelight790 in fact I was able to figure out Clove's role.**

**Roxanne Richie (Megamind) - Ceasar Flickerman**

**Taffyta Muttonfudge (Wreck-it-Ralph) - Glimmer**

**Daggur (Dreamworks Dragons) - Cato**

**Tigress (Kung Fu Panfa) - Fox-face**

**Azula (Avatar the Last Airbender) - Clove**

**Ralph (Wreck-it-Ralph) - Thresh**

**The Interview**

_**"J-Jack, h-h-how... wh-when..." He couldn't find his words.**_

_**"Don't ask. Long story. Tale for another day," Jack held up his hands, as if in surrender. "Let's just say..." He went forward and took Hiccup's hand, rubbing circles on his palm with his thumb. "...I didn't want you to lose your best friend. I like it better when you're happy..." He then chuckled and took Toothless from him. "And I have to say, I didn't want to lose this little guy either. Gotten fond of him,"**_

_**Hiccup stared at the boy, not knowing what to say to express his gratitude. So he just showed it by tackling the surprised and unsuspecting white-haired boy into the couch in a full-forced embrace, crying into his shoulder like he wanted to earlier, only this time it was out of happiness.**_

_**He didn't lose his best friend after all, in fact, he just got another one.**_

**:::::**

At dawn of the first year Jack started hunting, he laid in bed for a while, watching the sun come up on a beautiful morning. It's Sunday. A day off at home. He wondered if Jamie is in the woods yet. Usually they devoted all of Sunday to stocking up for the week. Rising early, hunting and gathering, then trading at the Hob. He thinks of Jamie without him. Both of them can hunt alone, but they work better as a pair. Particularly if they were trying for bigger game. But also in the littler things, having a partner lightened the load, could even make the arduous task of filling my familys table enjoyable.

Jack had been struggling along on his own for about six months when he first ran into Jamie in the woods. It was a Sunday in November, the air cool and piles of snow were everywhere, so he camouflaged his hair. He'd spent the morning competing with the squirrels for nuts and the slightly warmer afternoon wading in shallow ponds harvesting herbs. The only meat he'd shot was a squirrel that had practically run over his toes in its quest for acorns, but the animals would still be afoot when the snow buried his other food sources. Having strayed farther afield than usual, Jack was hurrying back home, lugging his burlap sacks when he came across a dead rabbit. It was hanging by its neck in a thin wire a foot above my head. About fifteen yards away was another. Jack recognized the twitch-up snares because his father had used them. When the prey is caught, its yanked into the air out of the reach of other hungry animals. He'd been trying to use snares all summer with no success, so he couldn't help dropping his sacks to examine this one. His fingers were just on the wire above one of the rabbits when a voice rang out.

"That's dangerous."

Jack jumped back several feet as a brunette boy he later knew as Jamie materialized from behind a tree. He must have been watching him the whole time. He was only twelve, same as Jack, but he cleared five feet and was as good as an adult to Jack. He'd seen him around the Seam and at school. And one other time. He'd lost his father in the same cave in that killed Jack's. In January, he'd stood by while the brunette received his medal of valor in the Justice Building, another oldest child with no father. He remembered his two little brothers clutching his mother, a woman whose swollen belly announced she was just days away from giving birth.

"What's your name?" he said, coming over and disengaging the rabbit from the snare. He had another three hanging from his belt.

"Jackson," Jack replied, barely audible.

Jamie gave the albino a once over. "Jack, huh? Like the spirt? Well, Jack Frost, stealing's punishable by death, or hadn't you heard?" he said.

"It's Jackson," Jack said louder. "And I wasn't stealing it. I just wanted to look at your snare. Mine never catch anything."

He raised a brow, not convinced. "So where'd you get the squirrel?"

"I maimed it." Jack pulled his staff-makeshift-spear off his shoulder. He was still using the small version his father had made him, but he'd been practicing with the full-size one when he could. Jack was hoping that by spring he might be able to bring down some bigger game.

The guy's eyes fastened on the spear. "Can I see that?" Jack made a look.

"I don't even know you, let alone your name."

The boy shrugged. "Jamie Bennette." He said, holding out a hand. Jack shook it and handed the spear over.

"Just remember, stealing's punishable by death." He imitated.

That was the first time Jack saw him smile. It transformed Jamie from someone menacing to someone you wished you knew. That's pretty much when he started crushing on his best friend. They talked hunting then. Jack told Jamie he might be able to get him a spear if he had something to trade. Not food. Jack wanted knowledge. He wanted to set his own snares that caught a belt of fat rabbits in one day. He agreed something might be worked out. As the seasons went by, they easily began to share their knowledge, the weapons, the secret places that were thick with wild plums or turkeys. Jamie taught Jack snares and fishing. The latter showed him what plants to eat and eventually gave him one of his precious spears. And then one day, without either of them saying it, they became a team. Dividing the work and the spoils. Making sure that both their families had food.

Jamie gave him a sense of security Jack had lacked since his father's death. His companionship replaced the long solitary hours in the woods. Jack became a much better hunter when he didn't have to look over his shoulder constantly, when someone was watching his back. But Jamie turned into so much more than a hunting partner. He became his confidante, someone with whom Jack could share thoughts he could never voice inside the fence. In exchange, Jamie trusted Jack with his. Being out in the woods with Jamie was great... So he was really disappointed when Jamie rejected his feelings. Although he was glad that he didn't stop being his friend.

Even more glad now that the feelings weren't returned after all, now that he had Hiccup. Well, relatively speaking.

Hiccup still had his arms around Jack, but it was understood why he was affectionate with the boy now. Jack knew what it was like to lose a best friend, he didn't lose Jamie but he was very far from him now. So he can only imagine Hiccup's relief upon seeing that Toothless wasn't gone after all. It elated Jack that he managed to actually make the boy happy. He finally did something to return the favor, but this was just the beginning. Jack wrapped his arms around the boy's waist, loving the feel of the soft body pressed against him, relishing the warmth coming from the brunette, finding that the smaller boy fit perfectly in his arms like a glove. Much more than that time in the Justice building, when he and Jamie embraced each other. It felt nice and comforting, but Jack realize that it could never compare to this. Hiccup was seriously his first love, and his infatuation for Jamie paled in comparison.

He was really in love with the brunette.

"Thank you so much, Jack..." Hiccup muttered, nuzzling the boy's neck that sent shivers down his spine. "you're the best friend I ever had," He chuckled in his throat, pulling up a bit. "well, best non-animal friend."

Jack laughed, toning down his blush. "Hey, humans are animals too, you know."

"Theoretically," Hiccup rolled his eyes. "don't make me rate you and Toothless,"

Someone cleared their throat, the boys looked to their side, realizing they were making a scene. With Hiccup topping Jack, practically straddling the older boy, and the white-haired teen's hands cupping the brunette's hips.

Aster's eyebrows danced knowingly. "We're not interrupting, are we, mates?" He teased. "We could leave the room, give you privacy and all."

Hiccup blushed heatedly, getting off the boy. Jack was the same, only he was also contemplating ways to kill Aster.

"Don't bother, we'll go first," Jack huffed, handing the cat back to the brunette and pulling Hiccup out of the room with him, "Good night then,"

~o~

The brunette kept stealing glances to the albino though, a smile never leaving his face. He couldn't believe what Jack did, he didn't know how he managed it, but the fact that the older boy would go to the trouble... It made him feel warm. It was the first time anyone did something like that for him.

Jack sure was something else.

"Jack?" Hiccup turned to the boy as they reached his room first. Jack looked back at him eagerly, waiting for what the boy would say. "I'll never forget this," He gestured to Toothless. "and, don't take this the wrong way, but on the very off chance you go down first before I do, I'm really going to try and win it for you. Mostly for you. So that I can remember you more for it," He hugged the boy one more time. "Thank you so much for seeing how much Toothless means to me,"

Jack doggedly ignored Hiccup's implication of the possibility of him dying first, and returned the embrace, happy that the boy wanted to remember him as long as he can. He knew he would be doing the same thing vice versa. Still... "I wished we could be together, though..."

Hiccup widened his eyes, pulling back. "Huh?" For some reasons, his thought went back to that kiss from the parade and he blushed. _No... We're guys, Jack can't mean..._

"You know," Jack shrugged shyly. "It'd be nice if we can go home together,"

_Oh... So that's what he meant... _Hiccup felt relieved yet somehow disappointed as well. Hiccup offered a lopsided smile. "If you take Toothless in for me, you can pretend like we did."

Jack returned a weak smile. "Throw in that pin, then it'll be more effective."

Hiccup chuckled. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment when Jack reached over to touch Hiccup's hand and give a gentle squeeze.

"Despite everything else coming up soon, I won't regret this."

"_This_?" The brunette raised a brow.

"Us becoming friends when we were chosen as Lights... Well, I volunteered, but same difference." Jack chuckled. "I'm happy we got to be friends... I got to be friends with the boy with the bread."

Hiccup smiled. "Same for me, with the Living Frostbite."

**:::::**

The next morning, Tooth's knocking at the door, reminding Hiccup there's another busy day ahead. Tomorrow night will be the televised interviews. The brunette guessed the whole team will have their hands full readying them for that. He gets up and take a quick shower, being a bit more careful about the buttons he hits, and head down to the dining room. Jack, Tooth, and Aster are huddled around the table talking in hushed voices.

_That seems odd,_ but hunger wins out over curiosity and Hiccup loaded up his plate with breakfast before he joined them.

The stews made with tender chunks of lamb and dried plums today. Perfect on the bed of wild rice. Hiccup shoveled about halfway through the mound when he realize no one's talking. He takes a big gulp of orange juice and wipe his mouth.

"So, what's going on? You're coaching us on interviews today, right?"

"That's 'bout right," says Aster.

"You don't have to wait until I'm done. I can listen and eat at the same time," Hiccup shrugged.

"Well, there's been a change of plans. About our current approach," says Tooth.

"What's that?" Hiccup asked. He's not sure what the current approach is. Trying to appear mediocre in front of the other Lights is the last bit of strategy he remembered. Failing miserably, by the way, with Toothless nearly dying.

Jack's shoulders stiffened and, in frustration, stands and leaves the room. Hiccup blinked, shock. "Well, that was completely normal," He said sarcastically. He turned back to the adults. "Is he okay?"

Aster shrugs. "Sure, just upset he won't be seeing you for awhile," he said indifferently.

"Eh?"

"I intend on coaching you two separately."

~o~

Jack really wanted to kill his mentor the moment he learned about his plan. At first, he was just frustrated that he couldn't be coached with his crush together. It would be the last few days they can be together till they're sent into the arena. But no, he was just completely mad at Aster's reasoning. Elsa had been right, Aster did have an inkling of his feelings. And he intended on breaking it by reminding Jack the brunette was still his enemy as soon as they step into the arena.

Hiccup was not his enemy. He was his friend. And damn he would kill himself first if he had to choose between that or killing the innocent brunette.

Sure, he loves Emma that he wanted to return for her, but he loved Hiccup too. He feared that it might even be moreso. But hey, family love and inimate love were two different things you can't measure on the same immeasurable love scale. And yes, he swore to Jamie that he'd win with everything he got, but really, he'll lose something whatever happened. Winning didn't seem anymore harder as it was now than it was then. Because now, he had a stronger attachment to Hamish "Hiccup" Haddock.

And losing him was equated to him losing part of his heart. Part of his existance.

Thas why he threw a tantrum when his session started with Aster, being as uncooperative as possible. For a moment, he didn't care about winning anymore. It no longer seemed as important.

Aster groaned. "You are impossible to work with," He complained.

"Your intention for this separated coaching is for me to break my attachment to Hiccup, which I don't want," Jack growled. "so this is freakin' pointless to me. I'll never stop feeling the way I do for him, you freakin' kangaroo-mund!"

Aster glared, and towered over him. "I'm Bunnymund. E. Aster Bunnymud," He growled. "Emotions only hurt you in there,"

"You should have thought of that before you told us to keep a friendly front," Jack huffed. "And just because you stopped feeling..."

"I NEVER STOPPED FEELING!" The tall man growled. Jack widened his eyes at the volume. "I just started realizing that it only made things harder but fine," Aster shook his head. "Have it your way... Do you really love that kid so much, enough that you wouldn't mind if he won?"

Jack didn't even hesitate. "Yes,"

"All right then mate," Aster nodded. "Admittedly, his personality leaves much to be desired if he's going to get sponsors. Even his eleven can't cut it far enough. So here's the best you can do,"

~o~

_"You'll each have four hours with Tooth for presentation and four with me for content," says Aster. "You start with Tooth, Hiccup."_

Hiccup can't imagine what Tooth will have to teach him that could take four hours, but she's got him working down to the last minute. Conquering walking, sitting, posture apparently, the brunette has a tendency to duck his head, eye contact, hand gestures, and smiling. Toothless just watched, playing with the same knots Hiccup made during training. He never went anywhere without the cat anymore, and he was still indecisive about whether or not he'd bring him into the arena with him.

He was also disappointed that he couldn't spend this time with Jack, he figured this would be less tiring that way. And definitely more fun, he understood what the older boy had been so upset about to storm out earlier.

Damn Aster for his decision.

"Well, that's about it," Tooth smiles, patting the taller boy's knee. "Just remember, Hiccup, you want the audience to like you."

"I really don't think they will..."

"Not if you keep pouting the entire time." Tooth offered a reassuring smile. "Just smile, pretend you're among friends."

"They're betting on how long I'll live! They want me to kill for entertainment! They're not my friends!"

Tooth frowned, hugging him. "But there are people who do care about you out there," She whispered. "just think of them."

Hiccup said nothing to that, and simply returned the hug. She wasn't as large as Val, very much smaller than him even, but the hug felt just the same. It was comforting. And she did care about him.

**:::::**

After lunch, Aster takes him into the sitting room, directs Hiccup to the couch, and then just frowns at him for a while.

"What?" Hiccup finally asked, raising a brow.

Aster sighed. "I'm trying to figure out what to do with you," he says. "How we're going to bloody present you. Are you going to be charming? Aloof? Fierce? So far, you're shining like a star. You've got the top training score. People are intrigued, but no one knows who you are. The impression you make tomorrow will decide exactly what I can get you in terms of sponsors," He explained gruffly.

Having watched the recap of Light interviews in his lessons with Tooth, Hiccup now knew the truth to what Aster was saying. If you appeal to the crowd, either by being humorous or brutal or eccentric, you gain favor.

"What's Jack's approach? Or am I not allowed to ask?"

Aster shrugged. "Likable. He has a sort of easy-going humor naturally," Aster shrugged, getting an egg out to paint. "Whereas when you open your mouth, you come across more as snarky and awkward. It's hard to work with all of... _this._" The man gestured to Hiccup's entire form.

"You just gestured to all of me,"

Aster nodded. "Exactly, it's difficult to work with all of you."

"Sorry if being snarky and awkward bothers you," Hiccup pouted. "but it's not like I can help myself, and you really don't have a say in how I act."

"But see, you don't have to please me. I'm not going to sponsor you. So pretend I'm the someone who can," says Aster with a flip of a brush. "Delight me."

"Fine..." Hiccup sighed. Aster takes the role of the interviewer and Hiccup tried to answer his questions in a winning fashion. But he can't. It was too much like acting and pretending, he felt impure. All Hiccup can think is how unjust the whole thing is, the Nightmare Games. Why is he hopping around like some trained dog trying to please people who didn't value life and freedom? The longer the interview goes on, the more his fury seems to rise to the surface, until he's literally spitting out snarky truths at Aster.

"All right, enough," he says. "We've got to find another angle. Not only are you snarky, you're way too honest you're gonna make Berk kill you before the Games can even start. You should let them know you without really knowing _you_."

"Okay, that didn't make sense at all."

"Just make something up, anything interesting."

"I don't want to, my parents are going to see this too right? They know me."

"Well, you better ignore that for now. You've got about as much charm as a fishbone," says Aster.

_Ouch. That hurts._

Even Aster must know he's been too harsh because his voice softens. "Here's an idea. Try acting humble."

"Humble," Hiccup echos in question.

"That you can't believe a little boy from District Twelve has done this well. The whole things been more than you ever could have bloody dreamed of. Talk about Anna's clothes. How nice the people are. How the city amazes you. If you won't lie about yourself, at least compliment the audience. Just keep turning it back around, all right. Gush."

The next hours are agonizing. At once, it's clear Hiccup cannot gush. They try him playing cocky, but he had an unlikeable, lousy arrogance. Apparently, he's too vulnerable for ferocity. He's witty, but in an annoyng sarcastic way. Not Funny, sexy, or mysterious.

By the end of the session, he was no one at all. At least, no want he wanted to show to the audience. Aster started painting vigorously in frustration. "Crikey! I give up, mate. Just answer the questions and try not to tell the audience your honest opinions about this whole thing."

**:::::**

Toothless watched his master curiously throughout the night. Hiccup had dinner in his room, ordering an outrageous number of delicacies, eating himself sick, and then taking out his frustration at Aster, at the Nightmare Games, at not seeing Jack for an entire day, at every living being in Berk by smashing dishes around his room. When the boy with the sunny-blond hair comes in to turn down his bed, his eyes widen at the mess.

Hiccup widened his own eyes, then turns downcast, collapsing to his knees. "So-sorry... Just leave it... Just leave it alone..." He considers the Sandys for a moment. For him, justice must finally be happening. At least his death will help pay for the life of the Dragon in the woods.

But instead of fleeing the room, the boy closes the door behind him and goes to the bathroom. He comes back with a damp cloth and wipes Hiccup's face gently then cleans the blood from a broken plate off his hands.

_Why is he doing this? Why am I letting him? _"I should have tried to save you," Hiccup whispered.

He shakes his head. Does this mean they were right to stand by? That he has forgiven Hiccup and his father?

"No, it was wrong,"

He taps his lips with his fingers then points to Hiccup's chest. The brunette thinks maybe the sunny-blond means that he would just have ended up a Sandys, too. Probably would have. A Sandys or dead.

The brunette spends the next hour helping the sunny-blond boy clean the room. When all the garbage has been dropped down a disposal and the food cleaned away, the Sandys turns down his bed. Hiccup crawled in between the sheets like a five-year-old with Toothless and let the sunny-blond tuck them in. Then he goes. Hiccup wanted him to stay until he fell asleep. To be there when he woke up. He wanted the protection of this boy, even though he never had his.

Either his, or Jack's... Yes, definitely Jack's was preferrable.

**:::::**

In the morning, it's not the boy or Jack but Hiccup's prep team who are hanging over him. His lessons with Tooth and, thankfully, Aster are over. This day belongs to Anna. Sadly, no Jack till much later. Now Hiccup was betting on Anna, _Maybe she can make me look so wonderful, no one will care what comes out of my mouth._

The team works on the brunette until late afternoon, turning Hiccup's skin to glowing satin, Sphen, a strangely, spiked-haired brunette stenciling patterns on his arms, Anna's blond lover, Christoff, painting ice designs on Hiccup's backhands as temporary tatooes. Then a man named Hans goes to work on the green-eyed boy's hair, weaving strands of white powder into a pattern that begins at his left sideburns, making it's way above the top of his head, suggesting winter once more. His hair made to look like snow on ground dirt. Finally, they cover his entire body in a powder that makes him shimmer in silver dust.

Then Anna enters with what Hiccup assumes as his my dress clothes, but he can't really see it because it's covered. "Close your eyes," she orders.

The brunette can feel the silken inside as they slip it down over his naked body, then the weight. It must be forty pounds. It was similar to the one he wore on the parade, with a much longer cape. The overcoat stretching far longer down, so it made to look like a two layered dress, if not for the cut-opening on the middle, revealing pants tucked in shiny-brown leather boots. Hiccup clutches Anna's hand as he blindly adjusted his boots. There's some adjusting and fidgeting. Then silence.

"Can I open my eyes?"

"Yes," giggles Anna. "Open them."

The creature standing before Hiccup in the full-length mirror has come from another world. Where skin shimmers and eyes flash and apparently they make their clothes from jewels. Because his cape is entirely covered in reflective precious gems, red-orange and yellow and green with bits of white pearls that accent the tips of the snow design inwardly, outwardly it was plain white. He was the weather once more. He can never take the question _So, how's the weather? _lightly ever again.

Of course, in one hand, it made him think back to Jack, and the parade, how the theme for this costume was meant to compliment the Albino teen. And also, how it was suppose to remind him of home. How he wished they could both go home together, with his two best friends.

On the other hand, it made the boy look very appealing.

For a while, they all just stared at him. "Thanks Anna," Hiccup finally said gratefully.

"Twirl for me," she claps. Hiccup holds out his arms and spin in a circle. And there was another surprise. The prep team screams in admiration.

Anna dismisses the team, kissing Christoff at the cheek lastly, and had Hiccup move around in outfit.

"So, all ready for the interview then?" asks Anna. Hiccup can see by her expression that she's been talking to Aster. That she knows how dreadful he was.

"I'm awful. Aster called me a fishbone. No matter what we tried, I couldn't do it. I just can't be one of those people he wants me to be,"

Anna thinks about this a moment. "Why don't you just be yourself?"

"Myself? Thats no good, either." Hiccup frowned, remembering. "Aster says I'm snarky and too honest, like a cynic,"

"Well, you are... doesn't mean it's all bad," says Anna with a grin. "I find you charmingly sincere. The prep team adores you. You even won over the Gamemakers. And as for the citizens of Berk, well, they can't stop talking about you. No one can help but admire your spark."

_My spark._ This is a new thought. Hiccup's not sure exactly what it means, but it suggests he was someone.

Anna takes his hands in hers. "You don't have anything against me? Nothing horrible to be honest about?" Hiccup shakes his head. "Then there. I'll be sitting on the main platform with the other stylists. You'll be able to look right at me. When you're asked a question, find me, and answer it as honestly as possible," says Anna. "You'll try it?"

Hiccup nodded. It's a plan. Or at least a straw to grasp at.

Too soon its time to go. The interviews take place on a stage constructed in front of the Training Center. Once Hiccup leaves his room, Anna taking Toothless with her, it will be only minutes until the brunette's in front of the crowd, the cameras, all of Burgess.

~o~

Just like Hiccup, Jack was going to rely on Elsa. At least, when the questions get too personal. He didn't mind playing a charasmatic front most of the time, if only to avoid getting personal for the most portions, they meet up with the rest of the District 12 crowd at the elevator. Anna and her gang have been hard at work. Hiccup looks striking in his dress clothes with the cape-colored accents. Aster and Tooth are all fancied up for the occasion. He avoided Aster, but accept Tooth's compliments. He still didn't like Aster's plan, but if it helped Hiccup at all...

Said boy nudged him in the arm, smiling, "Hey," Hiccup greeted.

"Hi," Jack grinned, taking in how cute he was. "you look great."

Hiccup laughed. "Same to you," He gave Jack's glistening, glossy ice outfit. Elsa didn't make it out of ice, but it pretty much looked like it. The albino's hair however was spiked up like icicles once more.

The elevator goes down and when it opens, the other Lights are being lined up to take the stage. All twenty-four of them sit in a big arc throughout the interviews. Jack will be last, since he had to or his words would disorient Hiccup.

Yeah, he wasn't looking forward to it that much.

~o~

How Hiccup wished he could be first and get the whole thing out of the way. Now he'll have to listen to how witty, funny, humble, fierce, and charming everybody else is before he go up. Plus, the audience will start to get bored, just as the Gamemakers did. And he can't exactly throw a knife into the crowd to get their attention.

Right before they parade onto the stage, Aster comes up behind Jack and Hiccup and growls, "Remember, you're still a friendly pair. So bloody act like it."

Jack looked pretty much ready to snap at Aster's pestering when Hiccup spoke first. "We don't have to act it," He growled back. "it's the truth. Come on, Jack."

The brunette pulls the boy along as they walk single-file to their seats and take their places. Just stepping on the stage makes his breathing rapid and shallow. Hiccup can feel his pulse pounding in his temples. Jack rubs his thumb in circles against the brunette's hand. It helped. Although evening is falling, the City Circle is brighter than a summer's day. An elevated seating unit has been set up for prestigious guests, with the stylists commanding the front row. The cameras will turn to them when the crowd is reacting to their handiwork. A large balcony off a building to the right has been reserved for the Game-makers. Television crews have claimed most of the other balconies. But the City Circle and the avenues that feed into it are completely packed with people. Standing room only. At homes and community halls around the country, every television set is turned on. Every citizen of Burgess is tuned in. There will be no blackouts tonight.

Roxanne Richie, the woman who has hosted the interviews for more than twenty years, this year, her hair is powder blue and her eyelids and lips are coated in the same hue. She looks freakish but less frightening than she did last year when her color was crimson and she seemed to be bleeding. Roxanne tells a few jokes to warm up the audience but then gets down to business.

The girl Light from District 1, looking provocative in a pink-rose gown, see-through from the waistdown with gems adorning the chest area, steps up the center of the stage to join Roxanne for her interview. You can tell her mentor didn't have any trouble coming up with an angle for her. With that flowing blonde hair, sky blue-eyed, her body tall and lush . . . she's sexy all the way. Her name was Taffyta Muttonfudge.

Each interview only lasts three minutes. Then a buzzer goes off and the next Light is up. Hiccup has to say this about Roxanne, she really does her best to make the Lights shine. Figuratively speaking. She's friendly, tries to set the nervous ones at ease, laughs at lame jokes, and can turn a weak response into a memorable one by the way she reacts. Hiccup sits as proper as he can, the way Tooth showed him, as the districts slip by. 2, 3, 4. Everyone seems to be playing up some angle. The monstrous boy from District 2 called Daggur, the one who tried to recruit him and kill Toothless, is a ruthless killing machine. And very obnoxious, casting Hiccup flirtatious looks every now and then before and after his turn. Jack had trouble not blowing up. Daggur's partner Light had a sadistic persona going on, saying the different gory ways she could kill, even making Roxanne slightly uncomfortable. Hiccup silently prayed he wasn't gonna be killed by Azula, the girl Light of two.

The Tiger-faced girl from District 5 sly and elusive. Hiccup spotted Anna as soon as she took her place, but even her presence cannot relax him. 8, 9, 10. The crippled boy from 10 is very quiet. The brunette's palms are sweating like crazy, but the silky leathered overcoat isn't absorbent and they skid right of if he tried to dry them. Jack notices this and reached over, rubbing his hands against Hiccup's. The brunette's eyes found Jack's, and he managed a appreciative smile. Then he felt Jack's hands squeeze his as the next Light pairs come in. 11.

Hiccuup gave him a questioning look.

"She reminds me of my sister..." Jack said lowly. "and she's in the Games,"

The brunette then understood, imagining Jack picturing his sister here right now if he hadn't volunteered for her. He gave the albino a reassuring squeeze. "We can't save everyone," he repeated the words Jack told him when he was troubling over the Sandys.

"Do what we can do," Jack replied back, it became a formula to the somewhat. He smiled weakly at the boy. "Thanks,"

Vanellope, who is dressed in a pink ruffled gown complete skips her way to Roxanne. A hush falls over the crowd at the sight of this magical wisp of a tribute. Roxanne is very sweet with her, complimenting her seven in training, an excellent score for one so small. When she asks her what her greatest strength in the arena will be, she doesn't hesitate.

"I'm very hard to catch, you know those rides you call cars? I'm that fast. Bet I can beat their speed, racing's in my blood," she says. "And if they can't catch me, they can't kill me. So don't count me out."

"I wouldn't in a million years," says Roxanne encouragingly.

The boy Light from District 11, Ralph, has the same vanilla skin, but the resemblance stops there. He's one of the giants, probably seven and a half feet tall and built like an ox, but Hiccup noticed he rejected the invitations from the High Lights to join their crowd. Instead he's been very solitary, speaking to no one, showing little interest in training. Even so, he scored a ten and it's not hard to imagine he impressed the Gamemakers. He ignores Roxanne's attempts at banter and answers with a yes or no or just remains silent.

And then they're calling Hamish Haddock, and the boy feels himself, as if in a dream, standing and making his way center stage, after Jack giving him one more squeeze. Hiccup shakes Roxanne's outstretched hand, and she has the good grace not to immediately wipe hers off on her dress.

"So, Hamish, Berk must be quite a change from District Twelve. What's impressed you most since you arrived here?" asks Roxanne.

_What? What did she say?_ It's as if the words make no sense. Hiccup's mouth has gone as dry as sawdust. He desperately finds Anna in the crowd and lock eyes with her. He imagined the words coming from her lips. _What's impressed you most since you arrived here? _Hiccup replayed it on his head, imagining Anna's voice instead of Roxanne's. The brunette racks his brain for something that made him happy here.

_Be honest,_ He thinks. _Be honest._ "The icelandic cod," Hiccup managed. "my cat loves it."

Roxanne laughs, and vaguely the brunette realizes some of the audience has joined in.

"Aw, how cute! The black one, right?" gushed Roxanne. Hiccup nodded. "How sweet. Sadly cats seems to hate me, oh, you don't think it's because I'm an awful person do you?" She gestured to the crowd. They shout reassurances to her and applaud. If there's one good thing about Roxanne, she tries to help you out. "Now, Hamish," she says confidentially, even when it's not. "When you came out in the opening ceremonies, you were rather dashing. What did you think of that costume?"

Anna raises one eyebrow at him. _Be honest._ "You mean after I was relieve that I didn't have to be the one to freeze to death?" Hiccup asked.

Big laugh. A real one from the audience. Jack raised a brow.

"Yes. Start then,"

"I thought Anna was brilliant and it was the most striking costume I'd ever seen and I couldn't believe I was wearing it. I mean, I was usually known for being a fishbone, so I can't believe I'm even wearing this, either." Hiccup lifts his cape to spread it out. "I mean, look at it! I'm like a fishbone painted better than my mentor's usual eggs." Everyone's hooting as the cameras find Aster, and he waves them away good-naturedly and points back to Hiccup as the audience _oohs_ and _ahs_, Roxanne comments that it was lovely just like the colors from the parade. Hiccup sees Anna make the tiniest circular motion with her finger. _Twirl for me._

"About the coloful lights... I'm wearing them, actually." He spins the cape mostly as he circles and the reaction is immediate, with light emanating from the gems like an imitation of the auroras, the lights beaming down to his feet.

"Oh, do that again!" says Roxanne, and so Hiccup lifts up his arms and spin around and around letting the cape fly out, letting the cloth surround him in colors. The audience breaks into cheers. When he stopped, taking his seat, Roxanne speaks.

"Don't stop!" she says.

"I have to, I'm dizzy..." _And Jack's not right here to save me from embarrasment..._

Roxanne moves on then. "Okay, so, how about that training score. E-le-ven. Give us a hint what happened in there."

He glances at the Gamemakers on the balcony and bite his lip. "Um... all I can say, is I think it was a first."

The cameras are right on the Gamemakers, who are chuckling and nodding.

"You're killing us," says Roxanne as if in actual pain. "Details. Details."

Hiccup addresses the balcony. "I'm not supposed to talk about it, right?"

The Gamemaker who fell in the punch bowl shouts out, "He's not!"

"Thank you," He shrugged. "Sorry. My lips are sealed."

The buzzer goes off. "Sorry were out of time. Best of luck, Hamish Haddock, Light from District Twelve."

**:::::**

Hiccup is still in a daze for the first part of Jack's interview. He has the audience from the get-go, though; The brunette can hear them laughing, shouting out. He plays up the Jack Frost thing, suggesting that he could spike the other Lights to death with his hair or blind them with his very white teeth. Then has a funny anecdote about the perils of Berk showers. "Tell me, do I still smell like roses?" he asks Roxanne, and then there's a whole run where they take turns sniffing each other that brings down the house. "You smell better, though."

"Well, I lived her longer,"

"Well, that explains it then,"

Hiccup's coming back into focus when Roxanne asks him about his sister and if he has a girlfriend back home.

"Let's go back then, to the moment they called your sister's name at the reaping, leading to how you and your partner are the first same genders pairs today," says Roxanne. Her mood is quieter now. "So you volunteered. Can you tell us about her?"

Hiccup can read Jack's expression. _No. No, not all of you. _Jack's eyes searches for Elsa. He didn't think he was imagining the sadness on her face. The brunette felt a pang the way Jack frantically search for the silver blond stylist. He tried shaking the unknown feeling off. "Her name's Emma. She's just twelve. And I love her more than anything."

You could hear a pin drop in the City Circle now.

"What did she say to you? After the reaping?"

Jack swallows hard. "She asked me to try really hard to win." The audience is frozen, hanging on his every word.

"And what did you say?" prompts Roxanne gently.

But instead of warmth, Jack feels an icy rigidity take over his body. His muscles tense as they do before a kill. His eyes found Hiccup's, and he managed to calm down. When he spoke, his voice seems to have dropped an octave. "I swore I would."

"I bet you did," says Roxanne, giving him a squeeze. Jack looks to Elsa for reassurance. She gives him a subtle thumbs-up. "Now... I just have to ask, is there a future Mrs. Frost out there?" Translate that to _Do you have a girlfriend? _Hiccup found himself interested.

Jack hesitates, then gives an unconvincing shake of his head.

"Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what's her name?" prods Roxanne.

Jack sighs. "Well, actually... I'm gay." There was a collective gasped followed by squeals. Hiccup widened his eyes, clearly not expecting that. Suddenly, a bad feeling crept to him. A feeling of unease and dread. "And there is this one boy. I've had a crush on him ever since I can remember. I thought I liked my best friend, but he had nothing on this other guy... But I'm pretty sure he didn't know I was alive until the reaping."

Sounds of sympathy from the crowd. Unrequited love they can relate to. Happens a lot in their trending boys' love.

"He have his own lady?" asks Roxanne.

"I don't know, but he hangs out with one."

"Is he straight?"

"I can't be sure, he doesn't seem interested with either genders..."

By this time, Hiccup's palms were sweating, his heart beating rapidly. Previous conversations and instances with Jack coming to mind...

The reassuring squeeze back home. Jack pulling out his chair for him. Repeatedly bumping his knees on the train. Pressing the ice to his bruised cheek. Kissing his bruised cheek. Knowing about his strong suits. Lifting him up proudly after the scoring. Him repeatedly and pointedly ignoring the sole victor rule...

_**'You shouldn't count yourself out yet,'**_

_**'What if I told you I didn't care about the rules?' **_

_**'I wished we could be together, though...'**_

Hiccup paled. _Jack... Don't do this... Don't say it..._

"So, here's what you do. You win, you go home. He can't turn you down then, eh?" says Roxanne encouragingly.

"I don't think it's going to work out. Even if he were gay... Winning... won't help in my case," says Jack.

"Why ever not?" asked Roxanne, mystified.

Jack blushes beet red and stammers out. "Because... because... he came here with me."

**A/N: This seriously took me al night to type. Bwah, I'm so sleepy. So I better gets lotsa reviews for this. I hope you guys love it! Reviews might mean updates. So go all out! Opinions, insights, thoughts? What do you think of the casting? Please, you guys got reactions. Tell them! Please? **


	9. The Games Begin

**A/N: Special mention to one of fanfiction net's newest members, aoshinobi! I'm so happy with your review and to know that reading this motivated you to create an account. It lifts my self-esteem immensely. Gush.**

**The Games Begin**

_**Hiccup paled. Jack... Don't do this... Don't say it...**_

_**"So, here's what you do. You win, you go home. He can't turn you down then, eh?" says Roxanne encouragingly. **_

_**"I don't think it's going to work out. Even if he were gay... Winning... won't help in my case," says Jack. **_

_**"Why ever not?" asked Roxanne, mystified. **_

_**Jack blushes beet red and stammers out. "Because... because... he came here with me." **_

**:::::**

For a moment, the camera's hold on Jack's downcast eyes as what he says sinks in. Then Hiccup sees his own face, mouth half open in a mix of surprise and disbelief, magnified on every screen as the truth hits him.

_Me! Gods, he really means me! _The brunette presses his lips together and stare at the floor, hoping this will conceal the emotions starting to boil up inside of him.

"Oh, that is a piece of bad luck," frowns Roxanne, and there's a real edge of pain in her voice. The crowd is murmuring in agreement, a few have even given agonized cries.

"It's not good," sighs Jack.

"Well," Roxanne coughed. "I don't think any of us can blame you. It'd be hard not to fall for that adorable young man," says the host. "You guys seem very close throughout the games. But he really didn't know?"

Jack shakes his head. "Not until now."

Hiccup allowed his eyes to flicker up to the screen long enough to see that the blush on his freckled cheeks is unmistakable.

"Wouldn't you love to pull him back out here and get a response?" Roxanne asks the audience. The crowd screams assent. The host smiles weakly. "Sadly, rules are rules, and Hamish Haddock's time has been spent. Well, best of luck to you, Jackson Overland, and I think I speak for all of Burgess when I say our hearts go with yours." The roar of the crowd is deafening. "Once more everybody, Jack Frost, the Living Frostbite!" Jack has absolutely wiped the rest of the Lights off the map with his declaration of love for the brunette. When the audience finally settles down, he chokes out a quiet _Thank you_ and returns to his seat. Everyone stands for the anthem.

Hiccup has to raise his head out of the required respect and cannot avoid seeing that every screen is now dominated by a shot of Jack and him, separated by a few feet that in the viewers heads can never be breached. _Poor tragic boys._

And indeed, they were.

After the anthem, the Lights files back into the Training Center lobby and into the elevators. By some sheer luck, Hiccup gets into a car that does not contain Jack (and that District 2 boy). The crowd slows their entourages of stylists and mentors and chaperones. The elevator stops to deposit four Lights before the brunette was left alone and finds the doors open to the twelfth floor. Jack has only just stepped from his car when Hiccup slams his palms into his chest. Jack loses his balance and crashes into an gly urn filled with fake flowers. The urn tips and shatters into hundreds of tiny pieces. Jack lands on the shards, and blood immediately flows from his hands.

"What was that for?" he says, aghast, looking hurt in more ways than one.

"Why?!" Hiccup choked out. "WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS?!" He shouted at him.

Now the elevators open and the whole crew is there; Tooth, Aster, Anna, and Elsa. Not to mention Toothless.

"What's going on?" says Tooth, a note of hysteria in her voice. "Did you fall?"

Jack got up shakily, Anna and Elsa helped support him. "After he shoved me," says the albino dejectedly.

Anna turns on Hiccup, giving a somewhat crossed-look. "Shoved him?" She frowned.

"Why the bloody hell would you do that?"

Hiccup turns on Aster. "This was your idea, wasn't it? That was the whole point of this friendship charade!" He spat.

"I thought you said it wasn't a charade," Jack frowned deeply. "...It definitely wasn't for me..." He winces as he pulls spikes of pottery from his palms.

"Then why'd you go along with it?! Lying about your feelings..."

Jack bursted at that. "YOU THINK I WAS LYING?!" He grasped the brunette's shoulders and shook him hard. "I really DO love you!"

Hiccup stared at the boy, wide-eyed. "No..." He squeaked. "you can't... we're both guys...We can't..." He pushed Jack away, but the boy held on to him.

"You think I care at this point?" Jack demanded desperately, not wanting to lose any ties he had with the brunette. "Hell, I'd be straight if you were a girl. I love you for you!"

"You are a fool," Aster says in disgust. "He just admitted his feelings for you. Do you think he hurt you? That boy just gave you something you could never achieve on your own."

"He made me look weak."

Jack was definitely the manlier one between them, so being confessed by him made the brunette the uke... Hiccup shook his head, blushing at the thought.

"He made you look desirable! And let's face it, you can use all the help you can get in that department. You were about as romantic as dirt until he said he wanted you."

Jack growled, turning on Aster. "Don't bring him down!" But Aster ignored him.

"Now they all want you. You're all they're talking about. The star-crossed lovers from District Twelve!"

"But we can't be star-crossed lovers!"

Aster pulls Hiccup away from Jack and pins him against the wall. Toothless hisses at him, but his injuries were still too much for him to move easily. "You have no choice, It's all a big show. It's all how you're perceived. The most I could say about you after your interview was that you were nice enough, although that in itself was a small miracle. Now I can say you're a bloody heartbreaker." He pointed at Jack's hands. "Literally. Now he'll have to go into the arena tomorrow injured."

Hiccup widened his eyes as he realizes this and broke down, crying. Jack shoved Aster away from him and went to gather the boy in his arms before said boy flings himself in the boys arms himself. Jack widened his eyes.

Aster scruched up his nose. "Well," He huffed. "a bit bipolar, aren't you?" 

Hiccup didn't know what to make out of all this. "I should have been told, so I didn't look so stupid." He muttered, hugging Jack tightly, reasons unknown.

"No, your reaction was perfect. If you'd known, it wouldnt have read as real," says Anna.

Hiccup took Jack's hands, and started picking off the pieces of the urn. "I did this," He sulked. "I'm so sorry Jack... Just... I freaked... My parents didn't bring me up to approve of... Well, this kind of relationship..." Not to mention it was the first time he ever had someone confess to him.

Tooth brought him a first aid kit, but the adults said nothing to interrupt.

Jack's shoulders slumped, realizing even if they did make it back together, there would be that barrier between them. "I'm sure it'll be fine," He muttered lowly. "Besides you didn't say you loved me. So what does it matter?" He shrugged, trying to make it careless as Hiccup nursed the wounds. Jack bit back a wince.

Hiccup froze, bringing the disinfectant down, the cotton swabs, and pressing his forehead against Jack's chest, his hand clutching his suit. Toothless came over, nosing Hiccup's leg. "I never said that I didn't," He said quietly that only Jack can hear. "Except I'm not sure if I can, and I don't want to play this charade just for their entertainment or my survival... I don't want to lie to you, I just... Don't exactly know how I feel... about you..."

Jack's eyes widened upon hearing Hiccup's words. His eyes softened, and his cupped Hiccup's chin to look up at him. "Then don't say anything," He said tenderly. "I just want to give you an edge... So you can survive, you did say you'd try for me... Right?"

Hiccup sniffed, rubbing at his eyes. "I'm sorry I shoved you."

"Doesn't matter," he shrugs. "Although it's technically illegal."

**:::::**

In the silence that follows, delicious smells of their dinner waft in from the dining room. "Come on, let's eat," says Elsa. They all follow her to the table and take their places. But then Jack is bleeding too heavily, and Hiccup leads him off for furthur medical treatment. The others entertain themself with the cat. When the boys return, they start of with a ros-petal soup. Jack's hands are wrapped in bandages. Hiccup still can't help feeling guilty. Tomorrow they will be in the arena. Jack confessed his sincere love for him, and Hiccup answers by giving him an handicap injury.

After dinner, they watch the replay in the sitting room. Hiccup seems lost and shallow, twirling and ditzy, although the others assured him he was fine. Jack actually is charming and then utterly winning as the boy in love. And there Hiccup was, blushing and confused, made exquisite by Anna's hands, desirable by Jack's confession, tragic by circumstance, and by all accounts, unforgettable.

And yet, all for the sake of the game's entertainment.

When the anthem finishes and the screen goes dark, a hush falls on the room. Tomorrow at dawn, they will be roused and prepared for the arena. The actual Games don't start until ten because so many of Berk's residents rise late. But Jack and Hiccup must make an early start. There is no telling how far they will travel to the arena that has been prepared for this year's Games.

They knew Aster and Tooth will not be going with them. As soon as they leave here, the two will be at the Games Headquarters, hopefully madly signing up their sponsors, working out a strategy on how and when to deliver the gifts to the boys. Anna and Elsa will travel with Jack and Hiccup to the very spot from which they will be launched into the arena. Still final good-byes must be said here.

Tooth takes both of the boys by the hand and embraces them tightly. Thanks them for being the best Lights it has ever been her privilege to chaperone. Then she kisses them each on the cheek and hurries out, overcome with the emotional parting.

Aster crosses his arms and looks Jack and Hiccup both over.

"Any final words of advice?" asks Jack.

"When the gong sounds, get the bloody hell out of there. Neither of you should go up to the blood bath at the Cornucopia. Just clear out, put as much distance as you can between yourselves and the others, and find a source of water," he says. "Got it?"

"And after that?" Hiccup asked weakly.

"Stay alive," says Aster. It's the same advice he gave them on the train, but he's not painting and indifferent this time. And the boys only nod.

What else is there to say?

When Hiccup heads to hs room, Toothless in his arms, Jack lingers to talk to Elsa. The brunette's covers are drawn back, but there is no sign of the sunny-blond Sandys boy. Hiccup wished he knew his name. He should have asked it. He could write it down maybe. Or act it out. But perhaps that would only result in punishment for him.

Hiccup climbed into bed, but he didn't sleep. He found it impossible, instead, he just kept looking at Toothless, who was once again, nuzzling the onyx pin.

~o~

The albino takes a shower and scrubs roughly. He looked at his hair with the icicle look before hot water melts it. Jackson, the Living Frostbite. Jack laid in his bed and It takes him about five seconds to realize he'll never fall asleep. And he needed sleep desperately because in the arena every moment he gives in to fatigue will be an invitation to death.

But really, how can he sleep? Jack just confessed his feelings to, not only Hiccup, but practically the entire Burgess. And it crossed him that Hiccup might actually have liked him back, if the circumstances weren't what they are. He didn't instantly reject the boy, either. Although he did push him. Hiccup was just confused, and Jack would have to hand that to him. Above everything else, he still loved the boy. Hiccup really was innocent and sincere, he didn't want to respond to Jack's confession not because it was a negative and he didn't want to break it to the boy or ruin the strategy, but simply because he wasn't sure. And he didn't want to act, not for anyone or even himself.

That's why Jack had to pull this off on his own.

**:::::**

_Its no good._ One hour, two, three pass, and Jack's eyelids refuse to get heavy. He can't stop trying to imagine exactly what terrain he'll be thrown into. Desert? Swamp? A frigid wasteland? Maybe that could even help him, with his title and all. Sponsors fcould think he had an edge. Above all Jack is hoping for trees, which may afford him some means of concealment and food and shelter. Often there are trees because barren landscapes are dull and the Games resolve too quickly without them. But what will the climate be like? What traps have the Gamemakers hidden to liven up the slower moments? And then there are his fellow Lights...

The more anxious he was to find sleep, the more it eludes him. Finally, Jack is too restless to even stay in bed. He paced the floor, heart beating too fast, breathing too short. His room feels like a prison cell. Jack runs down the hall to the door to the roof. It's not only unlocked but ajar. Perhaps someone forgot to close it, but it doesn't matter. The energy field enclosing the roof prevents any desperate form of escape. And Jack was not looking to escape, only to fill his lungs with air. He wanted to see the sky and the moon on the last night that no one will be hunting him.

The roof is not lit at night, but as soon as his bare feet reach its tiled surface Jack sees a silhouette, black against the lights that shine endlessly in Berk, a smaller animal-like one beside it. There's quite a commotion going on down in the streets, music and singing and car horns, none of which Jack could hear through the thick glass window panels in his room. Jack could slip away now, without him noticing; he wouldn't hear Jack over the noise. But the night airs so sweet, the albino can't bear returning to that stuffy cage of a room.

Jack's feet move soundlessly across the tiles. He's only yard behind him when the albino teen says, "You should be getting some sleep."

Hiccup starts but doesn't turn. Jack can see him give his head a slight shake. "I couldn't sleep... I'll be sleeping forever soon, anyway."

Jack frowned, coming up beside him and lean over the edge of the rail. "Could you stop thinking that? If I die, you said you'd win for me." He snapped.

"And the chances of you going down before I do is not that big," Hiccup shrugged, Toothless crawling up to his lap. "So, you couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"Couldn't turn my mind off,"

"Thinking about your family?"

"No," Jack admitted a bit guiltily. "All I can do is wonder about tomorrow. Which is pointless, of course. So, what's going to happen to Toothless?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I'll take him with... Heather told me it might give me an edge,"

"Heather?" Jack frowned. "The mayor's daughter?"

Hiccup nodded, and caught Jack's tone. "We're not a thing... Never even considered it," He said without being asked.

Jack blushed a bit. In the light from below, Hiccup can see the older boy's face now, the awkward way he holds his bandaged hands.

"I really am sorry about your hands."

"It doesn't matter, Hiccup," he says. "Better me than you..."

Hiccup sighed heavily, his shoulder shaking. "I wished there was more I can do for you," He sobbed. Jack couldn't help it, he embraced the boy from behind. Hiccup stiffened. Toothless watched the boys curiously.

"Sorry," Jack started to pull away, but Hiccup reaches up and keeps the arms around him. "Hiccup, you don't have to humor me."

Hiccup shook his head. "Am not," He protested. "I'm not acting... You are important to me, Jack. Maybe not the same way but... It's enough that I'd miss you... A lot,"

Jack sighed, tousling the boy's hair. "Hiccup, you done a lot by just giving me those breads, more than you realize," He told the boy. "I wouldn't even be alive this long if not for that. It's finally my chance to return the favor."

"I'm not gonna win, anyway. I've never been a contender," Hiccup muttered. "My best chance is to make sure I won't disgrace myself or..." He hesitates.

Jack frowned. "What?"

"I don't know how to say it exactly. Only... I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?" Hiccup asks. Jack shakes his head. How could he die as anyone but himself? "I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not." Jack bites his lip, feeling inferior. While he's been ruminating on the availability of trees, Hiccup has been struggling with how to maintain his identity. His purity of self.

"Do you mean you won't kill anyone?".

"Well, I really don't want to. Berk wants it, but if I had a choice, I wouldn't give it to them. Only, I keep wishing I could think of a way to... to show Berk they don't own me. Any of us. That we're more than just a pawn in their Games,"

"But you're not, none of us are. That's just how the Games work."

"Okay, but within that framework, there's still you, there's still me," The brunette insists. "Don't you see?"

"A little. But it's not like anyone cares,"

"I do. I mean, what else am I allowed to care about at this point?" Hiccup asks angrily. He's locked those green eyes on Jack's now, demanding an answer. "They take everything from us, and make us suffer while doing so... Jack, they'll take you away from me before I can even figure out my own feelings! They took any future we might have... How can you not care about that?"

Jack didn't know what to say to that, so he just sinks his face to those brown locks, smelling the scent of shampoo that was faint. "Well, I know one thing... I care about you," He whispered. "Remember, we can't do everything,"

Hiccup sighed. "Just do what we can, I know." He placed one hand on Toothless, the other on Jack's on bandaged hand. "May the odds..." He started.

"Be ever in your favor," Jack ended.

~o~

Hiccup doesn't see Jack in the morning. Anna comes to him before dawn, gives him a green long-sleeve turtleneck to wear, the brunette takes his fur vest with him, and Anna guides him to the roof. The final dressing and preparations will be alone in the catacombs under the arena itself. A hovercraft appears out of thin air, just like the one did in the woods the day he saw the sunny-blond Sandys boy captured, and a ladder drops down. He placed his hands and feet on the lower rungs and instantly it's as if he was frozen. Some sort of current glues Hiccup to the ladder while he's lifted safely inside. He expected the ladder to release him then, but he's still stuck when a woman in a white coat approaches him, carrying a syringe. "This is just your tracker, Hamish. The stiller you are, the more efficiently I can place it," she says.

_Still? I'm a statue._ But that doesn't prevent Hiccup from feeling the sharp stab of pain as the needle inserts the metal tracking device deep under the skin on the inside of his forearm. Now the Gamemakers will always be able to trace his whereabouts in the arena. Wouldn't want to lose a Light.

As soon as the trackers in place, the ladder releases him. The woman disappears and Anna with Toothless under her arm is retrieved from the roof, A Sandys girl comes in and directs them to a room where breakfast has been laid out. Despite the tension in his stomach, Hiccup eat as much as I can, although none of the delectable food makes any impression on him. He's so nervous, he could be eating snow. The one thing that distracts him at all is Toothless playing with knots and the view from the windows as they sail over the city and then to the wilderness beyond. This is what birds see. Maybe even the Nightfury. Only they're free and safe. The very opposite of Hiccup.

The ride lasts about half an hour before the windows black out, suggesting that they were nearing the arena. The hovercraft lands and Anna, Toothless, and Hiccup goes back to the ladder, only this time it leads down into a tube underground, into the catacombs that lie beneath the arena. They followed instructions to Hiccup's destination, a chamber for his preparation. In Berk, they call it the Launch Room. In the districts, it's referred to as the Stockyard. The place animals go before slaughter.

Everything is brand-new, Hiccup will be the first and only Light to use this Launch Room. The arena's are historic sites, preserved after the Games. Popular destinations for Berk residents to visit, to vacation. Go for a month, rewatch the Games, tour the catacombs, visit the sites where the deaths took place. You can even take part in reenactments. They say the food is excellent.

Hiccup struggled to keep his breakfast down as he showered and clean his teeth. Then the clothes arrive, the same for every Light. Anna has had no say in his outfit, does not even know what will be in the package, but he helps him dress in the undergarments, simple tawny pants, light green polo shirt, sturdy brown belt, and thin, hooded black jacket that falls to his thighs. "The material in the jackets designed to reflect body heat. Expect some cool nights," she says.

The boots, worn over skintight socks, are better than Hiccup could have hoped for. Soft leather not unlike the ones back home. These have a narrow flexible rubber sole with treads though. Good for running.

Hiccup thought he was done when Anna pulls the onyx Nightfury pin from her pocket. He had completely forgotten about it.

"Its your district token, right?"

Hiccup nodded and she fastens it on his shirt. "It barely cleared the review board. Some thought the pin could be used as a weapon, giving you an unfair advantage. But eventually, they let it through," says Anna. "They eliminated a ring from that District One girl, though. If you twisted the gemstone, a spike popped out. Poisoned one. She claimed she had no knowledge the ring transformed and there was no way to prove she did. But she lost her token." She told him. "There, you're all set. Move around. Make sure everything feels comfortable."

Hiccup walked, ran in a circle, swings his arms about. "Yes, it's fine."

"Then there's nothing to do but wait for the call," says Anna. "Unless you think you could eat any more?"

Hiccup turned down food but accept a glass of water that he takes tiny sips of as the three waited on a couch. Nervousness seeps into terror as the brunette anticipate what is to come. He could be dead, flat-out dead, in an hour. Not even. His fingers obsessively trace the hard little lump on his forearm where the woman injected the tracking device. Hiccup presses on it, even though it hurts, he pressed on it so hard a small bruise begins to form.

"Do you want to talk, Hiccup?" Anna asks.

He shakes his head but after a moment hold out his hand to her. Anna encloses it in both of hers. And this is how they sit until a pleasant female voice announces its time to prepare for launch.

Still clenching one of Anna's hands, Hiccup walked over and stand on the circular metal plate. Toothless bounded over when the boy beckoned him. "Remember what Aster said. Run, find water. The rest will follow," Anna says. Hiccup nodded. "And remember this. I'm not allowed to bet, but if I could, my money would be on you."

"Really?"

"Really," says Anna. She leans down and kisses him on the forehead. It seemed girls only kissed him when he was about to die. "Good luck, Hiccup."

And then a glass cylinder is lowering around the brunette and his pet, breaking the handhold, cutting Anna off from him. She taps his fingers under her chin.

Head high.

~o~

_Head high, _Elsa told him.

Jack lifts his chin and stand as straight as he can. The cylinder begins to rise. For maybe fifteen seconds, he's in darkness, and it was cold. He was scared. And then Jack can feel the metal plate pushing him out of the cylinder, into the open air. For a moment, his eyes are dazzled by the bright sunlight and he's conscious only of a strong wind with the hopeful smell of pine trees.

Then he hears the Head gamemaker and announcer, Turbo K.C. Time, as his voice booms all around him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!"

**:::::**

Sixty seconds. That's how long they were required to stand on the metal circles before the sound of a gong releases them. Step off before the minute is up, and land mines blow your legs off. Sixty seconds to take in the ring of Lights all equidistant from the Cornucopia, a giant golden horn shaped like a cone with a curved tail, the mouth of which is at least twenty feet high, spilling over with the things that will give the Lights life here in the arena. Food, containers of water, weapons, medicine, garments, fire starters. Strewn around the Cornucopia are other supplies, their value decreasing the farther they are from the horn. For instance, only a few steps from Jack's feet lays a three-foot square of plastic. Certainly it could be of some use in a downpour. But there in the mouth, Jack can see a tent pack that would protect from almost any sort of weather. If he only had the guts to go in and fight for it against the other twenty-three Lights. Which he has been instructed not to do.

They were on a flat, open stretch of ground. A plain of hard-packed dirt. Behind the Lights across from him, he can see nothing, indicating either a steep downward slope or even cliff. To his right lies a lake. To his left and back, spars piney woods. This is where Aster would want him to go. Immediately.

Jack hear the instructions in his head.

_Just clear out, put as much distance as you can between yourselves and the others, and find a source of water. _

But it's tempting, so tempting, when Jack sees the bounty waiting there before him. And he know that if he doesn't get it, someone else will. That the High Lights who survive the bloodbath will divide up most of these life-sustaining spoils. Something catches his eye. There, resting on a mound of blanket rolls, is a silver spear and a waistpack with slings just waiting to be engaged. _That's mine,_ Jack thinks.

Jack considers this. He won't be the only target. He's betting many of the other Lights would pass up a a boy who got eight for one who got higher, like that Ralph guy... or... Or...

That's when suddenly Jack notices Hiccup, he's about five Lights to his right, quite a fair distance, Jack feels the urge to run over, and drag them both out of there, seeing the apparent fear on his eyes, Toothless pressed up against him. But they needed somethig to protect them, and give them an offensive chance...

The gong rings out.

And Jack missed it! He missed his chance! Because those extra couple of seconds he lost by worrying over the boy he loved ready are enough to change his mind about going in. Jack's feet shuffle for a moment, confused at the direction my brain wants to take and then he lunges forward, scooping up the sheet of plastic and a loaf of bread., he sprints twenty yards to retrieve a bright blue backpack that could hold anything because Jack can't stand leaving with virtually nothing.

A boy, Jack thinks from District 9, reaches the pack at the same time he does and for a brief time they grapple for it and then he coughs, splattering Jack's face with blood. The albino staggers back, repulsed by the warm, sticky spray. Then the boy slips to the ground. That's when Jack sees the knife in his back. Already other Lights have reached the Cornucopia and are spreading out to attack. Yes, the girl from District 2, ten yards away, running toward Jack, one hand clutching a half-dozen knives. He had seen her throw in training. She never misses. And the albino was her next target.

All the general fear Jack have been feeling condenses into at immediate fear of this girl, this predator who might kill him in seconds. Adrenaline shoots through him and Jack slings the pack over one shoulder and run full-speed for the woods. He can hear the blade whistling toward me and reflexively hike the pack up to protect his head. The blade lodges in the pack. Both straps on his shoulders now, Jack make for the trees, somehow knowing the girl will not pursue him. That she'll be drawn back into the Cornucopia before all the good stuff is gone. A grin crosses Jack's face. _Thanks for the knife, _Jack thinks.

At the edge of the woods Jack turned for one instant to survey the field, trying to find his Hiccup... Jack shook his head, Hiccup wasn't his. About a dozen or so Lights are hacking away at one another at the horn. Several lie dead already on the ground. Those who have taken flight are disappearing into the trees or into the void opposite him. He saw a glimpse of Hiccup making his escape on another path, Toothless watching his back, and he had his own pack. Somehow, the albino felt that Hiccup would live long enough for Jack to figure out how to get to him later as long as he had Toothless.

He didn't look long enough that someone had pursued the brunette.

So now Jack continues running until the woods have hidden him from the other Lights then slows into a steady jog that he thinks he can maintain for a while. At one point, he ran into a Light. Literally. Tiger-faced. They stared at each other for a moment, shell-shocked. But the girl simply up and took off.

For the next few hours, Jack alternates between jogging and walking, putting as much distance as he can between himself and his competitors. He lost the bread during the struggle with the boy from District 9 but managed to stuff the plastic in his sleeve so as he walked the boy folded it neatly and tuck it into a pocket. Jack also frees the knife. It's a fine one with a long sharp blade, serrated near the handle, which will make it handy for sawing through things and slides it into his belt. He doesn't dare stop to examine the contents of the pack yet. Jack just keep moving, pausing only to check for pursuers.

He can go a long time. Jack knows that from his days in the woods. But he will needed water. That was Aster's second instruction, and since he sorted of botched the first, Jack keeps a sharp eye out for any sign of it. No luck.

The woods begin to evolve, and the pines are intermixed with a variety of trees, some Jack recognized, some completely foreign. At one point, the albino hears a noise and pull his knife, thinking he may have to defend himself, but he only startled a rabbit. "Good to see you," He whispered. If there's one rabbit, there could be hundreds just waiting to be snared.

The ground slopes down. Jack doesn't particularly like this. Valleys make him feel trapped. He wanted to be high, like in the hills around District 12, where he can see his enemies approaching. But he has no choice but to keep going.

The days of gorging himself have paid off. Jack got staying power. Being in the woods is rejuvenating. Jack's glad for the solitude, even though its an illusion, because he's probably on-screen right now. Not consistently but off and on. There are so many deaths to show the first day that a Light trekking through the woods isn't much to look at. But they'll show him enough to let people know he's alive, uninjured and on the move.

Jack paused to think if Hiccup was the same. He just had to wait and hope fo the best. _He said he'd try for me, right? _If anything, Toothless going down with him should motivate him enough to keep going, too.

One of the heaviest days of betting is the opening, when the initial casualties come in. But that can't compare to what happens as the field shrinks to a handful of players. It's late afternoon when Jack begins to hear the cannons. Each shot represents a dead Light. The fighting must have finally stopped at the Cornucopia. They never collect the bloodbath bodies until the killers have dispersed. On the opening day, they don't even fire the cannons until the initial fightings over because it's too hard to keep track of the fatalities. Jack allowed himself to pause, panting, as he counted the shots._ One . . . two . . . three . . ._ on and on until they reach eleven. Eleven dead in all. Thirteen left to play. Jack's fingernails scrapes at the dried blood the boy from District 9 coughed into his face. He's gone, certainly. He can only hope Hiccup lasted through the day. He'll know in a few hours. When they project the deads images into the sky for the rest of the Lights to see. All of a sudden, he's overwhelmed by the thought that his love may be already lost, bled white, collected, and in the process of being transported back to Berk to be cleaned up, redressed, and shipped in a simple wooden box back to District 12. No longer here. Heading home.

Jack had to fight the lump in his throat and kept going.

The boy slump down next to my pack, exhausted a moment later. He needed to go through it anyway before night falls. See what he has to work with. As Jack unhooks the straps, he can feel it's sturdily made although a rather unfortunate color. This blue will practically glow in the dark. Jack makes a mental note to camouflage it first thing tomorrow. He flip opens the flap. What he wanted most, right at this moment, is water. Aster's directive to immediately find water was not arbitrary. He won't last long without it. For a few days, he'll be able to function with unpleasant symptoms of dehydration, but after that he'd deteriorate into helplessness and be dead in a week, tops. Jack carefully laid out the provisions. One thin black sleeping bag that reflects body heat. A pack of crackers. A pack of dried beef strips. A bottle of iodine. A box of wooden matches. A small coil of wire. A pair of sunglasses. And a half-gallon plastic bottle with a cap for carrying water that's bone dry.

No water. _How hard would it have been for them to fill up the bottle? _Jack became aware of the dryness in his throat and mouth, the cracks in his lips. He's been moving all day long. It's been hot and he sweat a lot. Jack does this at home, but there are always streams to drink from, or snow to melt if it should come to it.

As Jack refills the pack he had an awful thought. The lake. The one he saw while he was waiting for the gong to sound. _What if that's the only water source in the arena? _That way they'll guarantee drawing them in to fight. The lake is a full day's journey from where Jack sits now, a much harder journey with nothing to drink. And then, even if Jack reached it, it's sure to be heavily guarded by some of the High Lights. He's about to panic when he remembered the rabbit he startled earlier today. It has to drink, too. The boy just have to find out where.

Twilight is closing in and Jack is ill at ease. The trees are too thin to offer much concealment. The layer of pine needles that muffles his footsteps also makes tracking animals harder when he need their trails to find water. And he's still heading downhill, deeper and deeper into a valley that seems endless. He's hungry, too, but he doesn't dare break into the precious store of crackers and beef yet. Instead, he takes a knife and go to work on a pine tree, cutting away the outer bark and scraping off a large handful of the softer inner bark. Jack slowly chews the stuff as he walked along. After a week of the finest food in the world, its a little hard to choke down. But he's eaten plenty of pine in his life. He'll adjust quickly.

In another hour, its clear Jack has to find a place to camp. Night creatures are coming out. He can hear the occasional hoot or howl, his first clue that he'll be competing with natural predators for the rabbits. As to whether he'll be viewed as a source of food, its too soon to tell. There could be any number of animals stalking him at this moment. But right now, he decided to make his fellow Lights a priority. He was sure many will continue hunting through the night. Those who fought it out at the Cornucopia will have food, an abundance of water from the lake, torches or flashlights, and weapons they're itching to use. Jack can only hope he traveled far and fast enough to be out of range.

Before settling down, he takes his wire and set two twitch-up snares in the brush. He knew its risky to be setting traps, but food will go so fast out here. And He couldn't set snares on the run. Still, Jack walks another five minutes before making camp. He picked his tree carefully. A willow, not terribly tall but set in a clump of other willows, offering concealment in those long, flowing tresses. Jack climbed up, sticking to the stronger branches close to the trunk, and find a sturdy fork for his bed. It takes some doing, but Jack arranges the sleeping bag in a relatively comfortable manner. He placed the backpack in the foot of the bag, then slide in after it. As a precaution, he removes his belt, loop it all the way around the branch and his sleeping bag, and refasten it at the waist. Now if he rolled over in his sleep, he won't go crashing to the ground. As night falls, the air is cooling quickly. Despite the risk he took in getting the backpack, Jack knew now it was the right choice. This sleeping bag, radiating back and preserving his body heat, will be invaluable. He's sure there are several other Lights whose biggest concern right now is how to stay warm whereas Jack may actually be able to get a few hours of sleep. If only he wasn't so thirsty . . .

Night has just come when he hears the anthem that proceeds the death recap. Through the branches Jack can see the seal of Berk, which appears to be floating in the sky. He's actually viewing another screen, an enormous one that's transported by of one of their disappearing hovercraft. The anthem fades out and the sky goes dark for a moment. At home, Jack would be watching full coverage of each and every killing, but that's thought to give an unfair advantage to the living Lights. Here in the arena, all they'll see are the same photographs they showed when they televised the training scores. Simple head shots. But now instead of scores they post only district numbers. Jack takes a deep breath as the face of the eleven dead tributes begin and tick them off one by one on his fingers.

The first to appear is the girl from District 3. That means that the High Lights from 1 and 2 have all survived. He was frustrated that Daggur lived through day one, but he wasn't surprise. Then the boy from 4. Jack didn't expect that one, usually all the Highs make it through the first day. The boy from District 5... He guessed the Tiger-faced girl made it. Both tributes from 6 and 7. The boy from 8. Both from 9. Yes, there's the boy who he fought for the backpack. Jack run through his fingers, only one more dead Light to go. Jack holds his breath, preparing himself.

_Is it Hiccup?_

No, it's the girl from District 10. That's it. Jack releases his breath. Berk's seal is back with a final musical flourish. Then darkness and the sounds of the forest resume. Of course, Jack's relieved Hiccup's alive.

Eleven dead, but none from District 12. Jack tried to work out who is left. Five High Lights. Tiger-face. Ralph and Vanellope. _Vanellope... so she made it through the first day after all._ Jack can't help feeling glad. That made ten of them. The other three he'll figure out tomorrow. Now when it is dark, and Jack have traveled far, and he's nestled high in this tree, now he must try and rest.

**:::::**

Jack haven't really slept in two days, and then there's been the long day's journey into the arena. Slowly, he allowed his muscles to relax. His eyes to close. The last thing he think is it's lucky he doesn't snore. . . .

_Snap! _The sound of a breaking branch wakes Jack. How long have he been asleep? Four hours? Five? The tip of his nose is icy cold. _Snap! Snap!_

_What's going on?_

This is not the sound of a branch under someones foot, but the sharp crack of one coming from a tree. _Snap! Snap!_ Jack judged it to be several hundred yards to his right. Slowly, noiselessly, the boy turns himself in that direction. For a few minutes, there's nothing but blackness and some scuffling. Then he sees a spark and a small fire begins to bloom. A pair of hands warms over flames, but Jack can't make out more than that.

The albino has to bite his lip not to scream every foul name he know at the fire starter. _What are they thinking?_

A fire just at nightfall would have been one thing. Those who battled at the Cornucopia, with their superior strength and surplus of supplies, they couldn't possibly have been near enough to spot the flames then. But now, when they've probably been combing the woods for hours looking for Lights.

_You might as well be waving a flag and shouting, Come and get me! _

And here Jack was, a stone's throw from the biggest idiot in the Games. Strapped in a tree. Not daring to flee since his general location has just been broadcast to any killer who cares. He know it's cold out here and not everybody has a sleeping bag. But then you grit your teeth and stick it out until dawn.

Jack laid smoldering in his bag for the next couple of hours really wondering if he can get out of this tree, he won't have the least problem taking out his new neighbor. Jack's instinct has been to flee, not fight. But obviously this person's a hazard.

The sky is still dark, but Jack can feel the first signs of dawn approaching. Then he hears it. Several pairs of feet breaking into a run. The fire starter must have dozed off. They're on her before she can escape. Jack knows it's a girl now, he can tell by the pleading, the agonized scream that follows. Then there's laughter and congratulations from several voices. Someone cries out, "Twelve down and eleven to go!" which gets a round of appreciative hoots.

They're fighting in a pack. Jack's not really surprised. Often alliances are formed in the early stages of the Games. The strong band together to hunt down the weak then, when the tension becomes too great, begins to turn on one another. Jack doesn't have to wonder too hard who has made this alliance. It'll be the remaining High Lights from Districts 1, 2, and 4. Two boys and three girls. The ones who lunched together.

For a moment, Jack heard them checking the girl for supplies. He can tell by their comments they've found nothing good. Jack wondered if the victim is Vanellope but quickly dismisses the thought.

_She's much too bright to be building a fire like that. _

"Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking." Jack is almost certain that's the brutish boy from District 2. There are murmurs of assent and then, to His horror, Jack hears the pack heading towards him. They do not know he was there. How could they? And he's well concealed in the clump of trees. At least while the sun stays down. Then the black sleeping bag will turn from camouflage to trouble. If they just keep moving, they will pass the albino and be gone in a minute.

But the Highs stop in the clearing about ten yards from the tree. They have flashlights, torches. "I can see an arm here, a boot there, through the breaks in the branches." Jack turns to ice, not even daring to breathe.

_Have they spotted me? No, not yet._ Jack can tell from their words their minds are elsewhere.

"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?" That was Azula.

"I'd say yes. Nothing to prevent them from going in immediately. Unless she isn't dead." Annoying Daggur.

"She's dead. I stuck her myself." Taffyta.

"Then where's the cannon? Someone should go back. Make sure the jobs done."

"Yeah, we don't want to have to track her down twice."

"I said she's dead!"

An argument breaks out until one Light silences the others. "I can't understand why you guys would argue about this!"

Jack almost falls out of the tree. The voice belongs to Hiccup.

**A/N: Yeah, you'll know what our adorable brunette is doing with the Highs soon enough. Hint. It's not his choice.**


	10. To Fight Back

**A/N: I wished I could get to the cave scene where it's HiJack feels to the maxx but I can't go out of order. But this is an au. If you guys read my au's, you'd know I do my best to stick to the program. So yeah. Guess no one new comes out here on out till the end of The Nightmare Games. So no more casting segment. If you guys will make DagCup or AlviCup requests from me after this, well, it will always be noncon and forever noncon.**

**To Fight Back**

_**But the Highs stop in the clearing about ten yards from the tree. They have flashlights, torches. "I can see an arm here, a boot there, through the breaks in the branches." Jack turns to ice, not even daring to breathe.**_

_**Have they spotted me? No, not yet. Jack can tell from their words their minds are elsewhere.**_

_**"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?" That was Azula.**_

_**"I'd say yes. Nothing to prevent them from going in immediately. Unless she isn't dead." Annoying Daggur.**_

_**"She's dead. I stuck her myself." Taffyta.**_

_**"Then where's the cannon? Someone should go back. Make sure the jobs done."**_

_**"Yeah, we don't want to have to track her down twice."**_

_**"I said she's dead!"**_

_**An argument breaks out until one Light silences the others. "I can't understand why you guys would argue about this!"**_

_**Jack almost falls out of the tree. The voice belongs to Hiccup.**_

**:::::**

It was a good thing Jack had the foresight to belt himself in. He would have rolled sideways off the fork and he's facing the ground, held in place by the belt, one hand, and his feet straddling the pack inside his sleeping bag, braced against the trunk. There must have been some rustling when he tipped sideways, but the Highs have been too caught up in their own argument to catch it.

"What are you complaining about now, Fishbone?" says Taffyta. "Can't you quiet down?"

Unfazed, Hiccup snarkily replies. "You can silent me yourself, you know. Not like I'm gonna help you guys find him, candy-breath."

Jack just got a glimpse of Hiccup, lit by a torch, standing amongst the High. His face is swollen with bruises, there's a bloody bandage on one arm, and from the sound of his gait he's limping somewhat. Jack practically flares up, however, as that Daggur kid tosses an arm around the brunette as Taffyta, egged on by the taunt, tries to make a strike on his crush.

Hiccup flinched, trying to pull away, but Daggur's got him in a headlock. "Ah-ah-ah~ No one touches my little Hiccy, except me." He crooned.

Jack was seriously contemplating jumping down and murdering Daggur then and there, for using such a nickname on the boy he loved, but his right mind held him back, knowing it wouldn't help him or either one of them in the long run.

"Get off me!" Hiccup snapped, annoyed. That's when Jack hears a hiss, and Toothless merges to attack. Howling in pain, Daggur lets go of Hiccup but made sure to give the feline a good kick. The brunette gasped. "Toothless!" He crouched down to him. Jack wondered why he didn't just run away, then he saw in dim light that he was bounded by the wrists, Toothless by the torso.

The High Lights speaks in hushed voices.

"Why don't we just kill him now and get it over with?"

"He's handy with a knife. Clever, too. I've seen him on the computer, keep us alive longer."

"Oh please, you just want him as a fuck toy."

Jack had a hard time breathing as the conversation progressed. He had to save Hiccup from these guys. But what good is an albino boy with a single knife to five deadly Highs? He had to wait, he was clearly disadvantaged now. He was going to save Hiccup, though, no matter what.

For now, he could only watch.

"Jealous, Azula?"

"Screw you, Daggur."

"Well, there is that, yes, I bet he's a virgin." Daggur shrugged, and Jack struggled not to throw up or blow up, whatever came first, as he digged his nails into the bark in frustration. "Besides, he's our best chance of finding him."

It takes Jack a moment to register that the _him_ they're referring to was himself.

"Right. Because he's in love with him,"

Hiccup stands back up and scowls at them, Toothless in his arms. "I told you guys, I don't know where he is." He muttered. "Even if I did, I'd die before I tell you... Or let you fuck me."

Daggur laughs, and pulls him over with the rope, tickling Hiccup's chin flirtatiously. "There's this thing, it's called _rape. _That means I do it whether you let me or not," He smirked at the way Hiccup's eyes mirrored fear and terror. Then, there's a cannon. Figures that the girl died a slow death, and the brunette frowns, looking back.

"We should at least bury her,"

The Highs laugh out loud as if Hiccup said something ridiculous, before the pack sets off at a run just as dawn begins to break, and birdsong fills the air. Jack remained in his helpless position, muscles trembling with exertion for a while longer, then hoist himself back onto his branch. He needed to get down, to get going, and find a better weapon. Better supplies.

He was gonna save Hiccup, or die trying.

**:::::**

A set of huge metal teeth drops down, probably like the one Hiccup told him about. Slowly, gently, the dead Light girl is lifted into the hovercraft. Then it vanishes. Jack wriggles out of his sleeping bag, roll it up, and place it in the pack. He takes a deep breath. While he's been concealed by darkness and the sleeping bag and the willow branches, it has probably been difficult for the cameras to get a good shot of him. He knows they must be tracking him now though. The minute Jack hits the ground, he's guaranteed a close-up. The audience will have been beside themselves, knowing Jack was in the tree, that he overheard the Highs talking, that he discovered Hiccup was with them. A hostage taking, perhaps? Playing the Damsel-in-Distress scenario?

Well, whether they knew it or not, Jack was deadset on saving Hiccup. Obviously, they were using him to lure Jack out, a bait. He wasn't gonna fall for it, he won't go to the rescue as much as he wanted to without a plan.

He needed a spear.

_First things first, though... _Jack is about to take off when he remembered one of his snares. Maybe it's imprudent to check them with the others so close. But has to. Too many years of hunting, habit. The lure of possible meat was tempting. He's rewarded with one fine rabbit.

In no time, he cleaned and gutted the animal, leaving the head, feet, tail, skin, and innards, under a pile of leaves. He's wishing for a fire, eating raw rabbit can give you rabbit fever, a lesson Jack learned the hard way. When the boy thinks of the dead Light, he hurries back to her camp. Sure enough, the coals of her dying fire are still hot. Jack cuts up the rabbit, fashion a spit out of branches, and set it over the coals.

While the rabbit cooks, Jack grinds up part of a charred branch and set about camouflaging his blue pack. The black tones it down, but he feels a layer of mud would definitely help. Of course, to have mud, he'd need water...

Jack pulls on his gear, grab the spit, kick some dirt over the coals, and take off in the opposite direction the Highs went, despite his desire to go after Hiccup. He eats half the rabbit as he goes, then wrapped up the leftovers in his plastic for later. The meat stops the grumbling in his stomach but does little to quench his thirst. Water is his top priority now. At least he knew Hiccup wouldn't be dehydrated, and that's about the only thing he was happy about with him being with the Highs.

As he hikes along, he feels certain he was still holding the screen in Berk, what a good time Turbo K.C. Time must be having with his guest commentators while also managing the Games, dissecting Jack's reaction. Well, that didn't matter what they thought. Jack knew what he had to do, he just had to start with baby steps.

The sun rises in the sky and even through the canopy it seems overly bright. Jack coats his lips in some grease from the rabbit and try to keep from panting, but it's no use. It's only been a day and he's dehydrating fast. He tried and think of everything he knows about finding water. It runs downhill, so, in fact, continuing down into this valley isn't a bad thing. If Jack could just locate a game trail or spot a particularly green patch of vegetation, these might help him along, but nothing seems to change. There's just the slight gradual slope, the birds, the sameness to the trees.

As the day wears on, Jack knew he was headed for trouble. What little urine he's been able to pass is a dark brown color, head aching, and there's a dry patch on his tongue that refuses to moisten. The sun hurts his eyes so he digs out the sunglasses, but when he puts them on they do something funny to his vision, so Jack just stuffs them back in his pack.

It's late afternoon when Jack thinks he might have found help. He spots a cluster of berry bushes and hurry to strip the fruit, to suck the sweet juices from the skins. But just as he's holding them to his lips, he gets a hard look at them. What I thought were blueberries have a slightly different shape, and when he breaks one open the insides are bloodred. Jack doesn't recognize these berries, perhaps they are edible, but he's guessing this is some evil trick on the part of the Gamemakers. Even the plant instructor in the Training Center made a point of telling him and Hiccup to avoid berries unless they were 100 percent sure they weren't toxic. Something he already knew, but he's so thirsty it takes the reminder to give him the strength to fling them away.

Fatigue is beginning to settle on him, but it's not the usual tiredness that follows a long hike. Jack had to stop and rest frequently, although he knows the only cure for what ails him requires continued searching.

_I'm a Frostbite lacking water for ice..._

He tries a new tactic, climbing a tree as high as he dared in his shaky state to look for any signs of water. But as far as Jack can see in any direction, there's the same unrelenting stretch of forest. Determined to go on until nightfall, he walked until he's stumbling over his own feet. Jack had to keep this up, stay alive. At least long enough to save Hiccup... If he died with the brunette still in their hands, who know what they'd do before they get to killing him. Kill Toothless in a gruesome manner in front of him? How would they kill Hiccup? And is that Daggur serious about...?

Jack moved faster.

Exhausted, he hauled myself up into a tree and belt himself in. He has no appetite, but he sucks on a rabbit bone just to give his mouth something to do. Night falls, the anthem plays, and high in the sky Jack sees the picture of the girl, who was apparently from District 8. The one Hiccup wanted to bury despite not knowing her.

The boy really didn't belong in these Games, or with Daggur.

Morning brings distress. Jack's heads throbs with every beat of his heart. Simple movements send stabs of pain through his joints. He falls, rather than jump from the tree. It takes several minutes for him to assemble his gear. Somewhere inside him, Jack knows this is wrong. He should be acting with more caution, moving with more urgency. But his mind seems foggy and forming a plan is hard. Jack leaned back against the trunk of his tree, one finger gingerly stroking the sandpaper surface of his tongue, as Jack assess his options. _How can I get water?_

_Return to the lake._ No good. He'd never make it.

_Hope for rain. _That wasn't doing anything. And there's not a cloud in the sky.

_Keep looking._ Yes, this is his only chance. But then, another thought hits Jack, and the surge of anger that follows brings him to me senses.

_Aster! He could send me water!_ Press a button and have it delivered to Jack in a silver parachute in minutes. He knows he must have sponsors, at least one or two who could afford a pint of liquid for him. Yes, it's pricey, but these people, they're made of money. And they'll be betting on me him well. Perhaps Aster doesn't realize how deep his need is.

Jack says in a voice as loud as he dares. "Water." He waited, hopefully, for a parachute to descend from the sky. But nothing is forthcoming. He buries his face in his hands. Are the sponsors so disappointed that he wasn't trying to save Hiccup that moment? Didn't they understand he needed the strength for that? Well, they should know one thing. He was easy prey, even for little Vanellope. She could take him right now, merely shove him over and kill him with his own knife, and he'd have little strength to resist. But if anyone is in his part of the woods, they ignored him. The truth is, Jack feels a million miles from another living soul.

Not alone though. No, they've surely got a camera tracking him now. He thinks back to the years of watching Lights starve, freeze, bleed, and dehydrate to death. Unless there's a really good fight going on somewhere, he's being featured. Jack's thoughts turn to Emma. It's likely she won't be watching him live, but they'll show updates at the school during lunch. For her sake, he tries to look as least desperate as he can.

There's no danger of tears now, Jack couldn't produce one to save his life. What is Aster doing? Despite Jack's anger, hatred, and suspicions, a small voice in the back of his head whispers an answer.

_Maybe he's sending you a message,_ it says. _A message. Saying what? _Then he figured it out. Aster wasn't completely heartless, and he knew the man did have feelings. There's only one good reason he could be withholding water from him. Because he knows Jack almost found it.

He grits his teeth and pull himself to his feet. His backpack seems to have tripled in weight. Jack finds a broken branch that will do for a walking stick and he starts off. The sun's beating down, even more searing than the first two days. He feels like an old piece of leather, drying and cracking in the heat. every step is an effort, but he refuses to stop. He refuse to sit down. If Jack sits, there's a good chance he won't be able to get up again, that he won't even remember my task.

_Water... water first... _

_...Hiccup... Hiccup..._

_...Have to save Hiccup... _

_...Protect Hiccup..._

_... Save Hiccup's purity from Daggur... _

_...Have it for himself..._

Jack shook that last thought away, clearly he was losing it. He has misjudged Aster. He had no intention of helping him at all.

The air is less hot, signifying evening's approach. There's a slight, sweet scent that reminds Jack of lilies. His fingers stroke the smooth ground, sliding easily across the top. His fingertips make small swirling patterns in the cool, slippery earth. Jack rarely saw mud, usually only in the woods, with the snow not covering the ground as much there compared to the District. How many times he has tracked game with the help of its soft, readable surface. _Good for bee stings, too. Mud. Mud. Mud! _

Jack's eyes fly open and he digs his fingers into the earth. _It is mud!_ His nose lifts in the air. _And those are lilies! Pond lilies!_

He crawls now, through the mud, dragging himself toward the scent. Five yards from where he fell, he crawls through a tangle of plants into a pond. Floating on the top, yellow flowers in bloom, are the beautiful lilies. It's all he can do not to plunge his face into the water and gulp down as much as he can hold. But Jack has just enough sense left to abstain. With trembling hands, he gets out his flask and fill it with water. Jack adds what he remembered to be the right number of drops of iodine for purifying it. It was during Toothless's death phase, although not really death. Hiccup kept telling him these things making sure he remembered... Edible berries, wood to burn that won't let out poisonous fumes, amount of iodine to put in water... and it had served as the boy's distraction from pain. Teaching Jack the new things. Jack held on to every words, because how could he not pay attention?

The half an hour of waiting is agony, but Jack does it. At least, he thinks it's a half an hour, but it's certainly as long as he can stand.

"Slowly, easy now," Jack tells myself. He takes one swallow and make himself wait. Then another. Over the next couple of hours, he drinks the entire half gallon. Then a second. He prepared another before he retires to a tree where he continues sipping, eating rabbit, and even indulge in one of the precious crackers. By the time the anthem plays, Jack feels remarkably better. There are no faces tonight, no Lights died today. As soon as he rescues the brunette, they'll make their way back here, resting, camouflaging backpacks and other supplies they could be luck to get with mud, catching some of those little fish he saw as he sipped, digging up the roots of the pond lilies to make a nice meal. Jack snuggle down in his sleeping bag, hanging on to his water bottle for dear life, which, of course, it is. And he dreams of Hiccup, that time when they slept in his bed after they thought Toothless died.

What he wouldn't give for one more night just like that. Hiccup's body was warmer and much more comfortable than the sleeping bag.

Just the thought of Hiccup makes Jack falls in slumber.

A few hours later, the stampede of feet shakes Jack from slumber. He looks around in bewilderment. It's not yet dawn, but his stinging eyes can see it.

It would be hard to miss the wall of fire descending on him.

**:::::**

Jack's first impulse is to scramble from the tree, but he's belted in. Somehow his fumbling fingers release the buckle and he falls to the ground in a heap, still snarled in the sleeping bag. There's no time for any kind of packing. Fortunately, his backpack and water bottle are already in the bag. He shoved in the belt, hoist the bag over his shoulder, and flee.

The world has transformed to flame and smoke. Burning branches crack from trees and fall in showers of sparks at his feet. All Jack can do is follow the others, the rabbits and deer and he even spots a wild dog pack shooting through the woods. Jack trusted their sense of direction because their instincts are sharper than his. But they are much faster, flying through the underbrush so gracefully as Jack's boots catch on roots and fallen tree limbs, that there's no way he can keep apace with them.

The heat is horrible, but worse than the heat is the smoke, which threatens to suffocate Jack at any moment. He pulls the top of his shirt up over his nose, grateful to find it soaked in sweat, and it offers a thin veil of protection. And he runs, choking, his bag banging against his back, his face cut with branches that materialize from the gray haze without warning, because Jack knows he is supposed to run.

This was no Light's campfire gone out of control, no accidental occurrence. The flames that bear down on him have an unnatural height, a uniformity that marks them as human-made, machine-made, Gamemaker-made. Things have been too quiet today. No deaths, perhaps no fights at all. The audience in Berk will be getting bored, claiming that these Games are verging on dullness. This is the one thing the Games must not do. It's not hard to follow the Gamemakers motivation. There is the High pack and then there are the rest of others like Jack, individuals, minus Hiccup who was held captive. Probably spread far and thin across the arena. This fire is designed to flush them out, to drive them together. It may not be the most original device Jack's seen, but it's very, very effective.

The only thing he could look forward for was seeing Hiccup. If he'll only ignore the fact that he still wasn't capable of saving them both.

Jack hurdles over a burning log. Not high enough. The tail end of his jacket catches on fire and he has to stop to rip it from his body and stamp out the flames. But he doesn't dare leave the jacket, scorched and smoldering as it is, he takes the risk of shoving it in his sleeping bag, hoping the lack of air will quell what he hasn't extinguished. This is all he has, what he carries on his back, and it's little enough to survive with. In a matter of minutes, Jack's throat and nose are burning. The coughing begins soon after and his lungs begin to feel as if they are actually being cooked. Discomfort turns to distress until each breath sends a searing pain through Jack's chest. He manages to take cover under a stone outcropping just as the vomiting begins, and he loses his meager supper and whatever water has remained in his stomach. Crouching on his hands and knees, the albino retches until there's nothing left to come up.

The teen knew he needed to keep moving, but he's trembling and light-headed now, gasping for air. He allows himself about a spoonful of water to rinse his mouth and spit then take a few swallows from his bottle. "You get one minute," Jack told himself. One minute to rest. He takes the time to reorder his supplies, wad up the sleeping bag, and messily stuff everything into the backpack. His minutes up. Jack knows it's time to move on, but the smoke has clouded his thoughts. The swift-footed animals that were his compass have left him behind. He knew he hasn't been in this part of the woods before, there were no sizable rocks like the one he's sheltering against on his earlier travels.

Where are the Gamemakers driving him? Back to the lake? To a whole new terrain filled with new dangers? Jack had just found a few hours of peace at the pond, where he could have brought Hiccup when this attack began. Would there be any way Jack could travel parallel to the fire and work his way back there, to a source of water at least? The wall of fire must have an end and it won't burn indefinitely. Not because the Gamemakers couldn't keep it fueled but because, again, that would invite accusations of boredom from the audience. If the albino could get back behind the fire line, he could avoid meeting up with the Highs prematurely. He had just decided to try and loop back around, although it will require miles of travel away from the inferno and then a very circuitous route back, when the first fireball blasts into the rock about two feet from his head. Jack springs out from under the ledge, energized by renewed fear.

The game has taken a twist. The fire was just to get them moving, now the audience will get to see some real fun. When Jack hears the next hiss, he flattens on the ground, not taking time to look. The fireball hits a tree off to his left, engulfing it in flames. To remain still is death. Jack's barely on his feet before the third ball hits the ground where he was lying, sending a pillar of fire up behind him. Time loses meaning now as he frantically tries to dodge the attacks. He couldn't see where they're being launched from, but it's not a hovercraft. The angles are not extreme enough. Probably this whole segment of the woods has been armed with precision launchers that are concealed in trees or rocks. Somewhere, in a cool and spotless room, a Gamemaker sits at a set of controls, fingers on the triggers that could end Jack's life in a second. All that is needed is a direct hit.

Whatever vague plan the albino teen had conceived regarding returning to the pond is wiped from his mind as he zigzag and dives and leaps to avoid the fireballs. Each one is only the size of an apple, but packs tremendous power on contact. Every sense Jack has goes into overdrive as the need to survive takes over. There's no time to judge if a move is the correct one. When there's a hiss, It's act or die.

Something keeps Jack moving forward, though. One was a lifetime of watching the Nightmare Games lets him know that certain areas of the arena are rigged for certain attacks. And that if he can just get away from this section, he might be able to move out of reach of the launchers. He might also then fall straight into a pit of vipers, but he can't worry about that now. The other, being Hiccup. Sure, he had to survive this. But it wasn't for himself. At least, not only. He promised Snoutlout, he'd take care of Hiccup. An damn himself if he didn't try to keep it. Since they got to the arena, the best thing Jack did for the brunette was not slitting his throat. And that hardly counted.

How long Jack scrambled along dodging the fireballs he can't say, but the attacks finally begin to abate. Which is good, because he was retching again. This time its an acidic substance that scalds his throat and makes its way into his nose as well. Jack's forced to stop as his body convulses, trying desperately to rid itself of the poisons he's been sucking in during the attack. He waited for the next hiss, the next signal to bolt. It doesn't come. The force of the retching has squeezed tears out of Jack's stinging eyes. His clothes are drenched in sweat. Somehow, through the smoke and vomit, he picked up the scent of singed hair. Jack's hand fumbles to his hair and finds a fireball has burnt some strands, white to black, but he can see the faint brown that used to be his original color, the layer of white paint giving way on the singed strands. Jack stared at them, fascinated by the transformation, when the hissing registers.

His muscles react, only not fast enough this time. The fireball crashes into the ground at his side, but not before it skids across his right calf. Seeing his pant's leg on fire sends Jack over the edge. He twisted and scuttled backward on his hands and feet, shrieking, trying to remove himself from the horror. When Jack finally regains enough sense, he rolls the leg back and forth on the ground, which stifles the worst of it. But then, without thinking, Jack rips away the remaining fabric with his bare hands. Jack sits on the ground, a few yards from the blaze set off by the fireball. His calf is screaming, his hands covered in red welts. Jack's shaking too hard to move. If the Gamemakers want to finish him off, now is the time.

Jack hears Elsa's voice, carrying images of white fabric and solid ice garments. _Jack Frost, the Living Frostbite..._ _Now melted by fire,_ What a good laugh the Gamemakers must be having over that one. Perhaps, Elsa's beautiful costumes have even brought on this ironic torture for him. Jack knew she couldn't have foreseen this, she must be hurting for Jack because, in fact, he believed she cares about him. _But all in all, maybe showing up stark naked in white powder in that chariot would have been safer for me._

The attack is now over. The Gamemakers doesn't want Jack dead. Not yet, anyway. Everyone knows they could destroy the Lights all within seconds of the opening gong. The real sport of the Nightmare Games is watching the Lights kill one another. Every so often, they do kill a Light just to remind the players they can. But mostly, they manipulate them into confronting one another face-to-face. Which means, if Jack's no longer being fired at, there is at least one other Light close at hand.

Jack would drag himself into a tree and take cover now if he could, but the smoke is still thick enough to kill him. The boy makes himself stands and begins to limp away from the wall of flames that lights up the sky. It does not seem to be pursuing him any longer, except with its stinking black clouds.

Another light, daylight, begins to softly emerge. Swirls of smoke catch the sunbeams. Jack's visibility is poor. He can see maybe fifteen yards in any direction. A Light could easily be concealed from him here. Jack could draw his knife as a precaution, but he doubted his ability to hold it for long. The pain in his still healing hands can in no way compete with that in my calf. Jack hated burns, have always hated them, even a small one gotten from pulling a pan of bread from the oven when he made tessera bread. It is the worst kind of pain to him, but he had never experienced anything like this.

Jack's so weary he doesn't even notice he's in the pool until he's ankle-deep. It's spring-fed, bubbling up out of a crevice in some rocks, and blissfully cool. He plunges his hands into the shallow water and feel instant relief. Isn't that what his mother always says? The first treatment for a burn is cold water? That it draws out the heat? But she means minor burns. Probably she'd recommend it for his hands. But what of the calf? Although Jack had not yet had the courage to examine it, he's guessing that its an injury in a whole different class.

He lies on his stomach at edge of the pool for a while, dangling his hands in the water, bathe the blood and ash from his face and tries to recall all he knew about burns.

His leg is in need of attention, but Jack still can't look at it. He remembers his mother saying that if a burns severe, the victim might not even feel pain because the nerves would be destroyed. Encouraged by this, he sits up and swing his leg in front of him. He almost fainted at the sight of his calf. The flesh is a brilliant red covered with blisters. Jack forced himself to take deep, slow breaths, feeling quite certain the cameras are on his face. He can't show weakness at this injury. Not if he wanted help. Pity does not get you aid. Admiration at your refusal to give in does. Jack cuts the remains of the pant leg off at the knee and examines the injury more closely. The burned area is about the size of his hand. None of the skin is blackened. It's not too bad to soak,at least Jack thought not. Gingerly Jack stretches out his leg into the pool, propping the heel of his boot on a rock so the leather doesn't get too sodden, and sigh, because this does offer some relief.

He knows there are herbs, if he could find them, that would speed the healing, but he can't quite call them to mind. Water and time will probably be all he has to work with.

_Should I be moving on?_ The smoke is slowly clearing but still too heavy to be healthy. If he did continue away from the fire, won't he be walking straight into the weapons of the Highs? Besides, every time he lifted his leg from the water, the pain rebounds so intensely he had to slide it back in. His hands are slightly less demanding. They can handle small breaks from the pool. So Jack slowly puts his gear back in order. First he fills his bottle with the pool water, treat it, and when enough time has passed, begin to rehydrate his body. After a time, Jack forces himself to nibble on a cracker, which helps settle his stomach. Jack rolled up his sleeping bag. Except for a few black marks, it's relatively unscathed. Same as the Jacket an hood. Despite the pain, drowsiness begins to take over. He'd take to a tree and try to rest, except he'd be too easy to spot. Besides, abandoning this pool seems impossible. Jack neatly arranges his supplies, even settle his pack on his shoulders, but he can't seem to leave. The boy spots some water plants with edible roots and make a small meal with his last piece of rabbit. Sip water. Watch the sun make its slow arc across the sky. Where would he go anyway that is any safer than here? Jack leans back on my pack, overcome by drowsiness. _If the Highs want me, let them find me,_ Jack thinks before drifting into a stupor._ Let them find me. _

And find him, they do. It's lucky he as ready to move on because when he hears the feet, he has less than a minute head start. Evening has begun to fall. Late Afternoon. Twilight. The moment Jack's awakes, he's up and running, splashing across the pool, flying into the underbrush. His leg slows him down, but he sensed his pursuers are not as speedy as they were before the fire, either. He hears their coughs, their raspy voices calling to one another.

Still, they are closing in, just like a pack of wild dogs, and so Jack does what I has done his whole life in such circumstances. He picked a high tree and begin to climb. If running hurts for the boy, climbing is agonizing because it requires not only exertion but direct contact of his hands on the tree bark. He abandoned his boots, finding him better and more effective without them as usual. He's fast, and by the time they've reached the base of the trunk, Jack's twenty feet up. For a moment, they stop and survey one another. He hoped they can't hear the pounding of his heart.

Jack found Hiccup, he looked all right, albeit slightly scorched. But Toothless was no where to be found, and the boy once again looked tired, upset, and all things he looked like when Toothless fell off that balcony. Jack frowned at the idea of losing Toothless a second time and can only try to imagine how Hiccup must feel now. _This could be it,_ he thinks. _What chance do I have against them? _All six are there, the five Highs and Hiccup, and Jack feels the helplessness of saving him. Both of them. His only consolation was that they looked beaten down as so, looking at their weapons. Look at their faces, grinning and snarling at the boy on the tree, a sure kill above them. It seems pretty hopeless. Suddenly, a if just realizing it, Hiccup finds Jack up the tree and widened his eyes. And for a moment, the brunette breaks into a grin, finding Jack still alive. And once again, Jack's is feeling a surge of hope as something else registers. They're bigger and stronger than he was, no doubt, but they're also heavier.

Now Jack smile. "How's everything with you?" He called down cheerfully.

This takes them aback, "Well enough," says the bastard Daggur. "Yourself?"

"It's been a bit warm for my taste, usually prefer ice." Jack says. He can almost hear the laughter from Berk. "The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?"

"Think I will,"

"Here, take this, Daggur," says Taffyta, and she offers him the spear and waist pouch. _My _spear_! The slings!_ Just the sight of them makes Jack so angry he wanted to scream, Jack tries to make eye contact with Daggur now, but he seems to be intentionally avoiding his gaze as he polishes his knife with the edge of his shirt.

"No," says Daggur, pushing away the spear. "I'll do better with my dagger or sword." Jack can see the weapon, a short, heavy blade at his belt.

Jack gives Daggur time to hoist himself into the tree before he begins to climb again. Jack can scurry up even the slenderest limb. You have to know where to place your hands and feet. Jack's another thirty feet in the air when he hears the crack and looks down to see Jack flailing as he and a branch go down. He hits the ground hard and Hiccup bursted out laughing, making Jack smile himself. "That's for kidnapping my partner Light," Jack's hoping Daggur possibly broke his neck when he gets back to his feet, swearing like a fiend.

Taffyta scales the tree until the branches begin to crack under her feet and then has the good sense to stop. Jack's at least eighty feet high now. She tries to use the slingshot at him and its immediately evident that she's incompetent with aim. One of the spearhead gets lodged in the tree near Jack though and he's able to seize it. He wave it teasingly above her head, as if this was the sole purpose of retrieving it, when actually Jack means to use it if he ever get the chance. Jack could kill them, everyone of them, if those weapons were in his hands.

Hiccup shrugged. "I can be helpful for once, I can climb," He said carelessly. "take hoim out for you."

Jack grinned at this, if the brunette climbed up, they can make a run for it eventually, somehow. Although he'd lose the chance with the spears...

But Daggur sees through the tactic and grabbed Hiccup, who yelped as the taller boy nuzzled his neck. Hiccup whimpered, with the boy biting into his skin and struggled weakly. Daggur tried kissing him next, but Hiccup clamped his lips shut as the boy from two pressed his lips on Hiccup's folded ones. Jack growled and made other animal noise in disapproval. "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HIM!"

Azula groaned. "I have to say I agree," She complained.

"Yeah. Too much, Daggur, too much."

Daggur blew a raspberry and laughed. "How 'bout you get your frostbutt down here and make me!" He taunted.

Jack was about to do just that when Hiccup shakes his head frantically. Even if it pained him, even if he wanted to have the brunette in his arms so badly, he knew staying up the tree would do them both more good than if he went down there. They were outnumbered and outpowered. If they took out Jack first, Hiccup would be in a whole lot of pain before they got around to killing him next. So he stayed.

Daggur realized Jack wasn't going down and he growled, releasing Hiccup. The brunette scrambled away quickly, although not that far because he was still bounded. The Highs regroup on the ground and Jack can hear them growling conspiratorially among themselves, furious the albino have made them look foolish. But twilight has arrived and their window of attack on him is closing. Finally, Jack hears Azula say harshly, "Oh, let him stay up there. It's not like he's going anywhere, we got his precious fishbone. We'll deal with him in the morning."

Well, she's right about two things. Jack wasn't going nowhere. Especially not without Hiccup. All the relief from the pool water has gone, leaving him to feel the full potency of his burns. He scoots down to a fork in the tree and clumsily prepare for bed. Put on his jacket. Lay out the sleeping bed. Belt himself in and try to keep from moaning. The heat of the bags too much for his leg. Jack cuts a slash in the fabric and hang his calf out in the open air. He drizzled water on the wound, his hands. All his bravado is gone. He's weak from pain and hunger but can't bring myself to eat. Even if he can last the night, what will the morning bring? Jack stared into the foliage trying to will himself to rest, but the burns forbid it. The scene even more, finding Hiccup forcibly pressed against Daggur's arms as the ugly boy slept. Hiccup kept squirming and glancing up to Jack, his eyes pleading. Jack bit his lip. _Soon. _He mouthed. And really, that's all he could think to say. Hiccup nodded and stayed awake. Birds are settling down for the night, singing lullabies to their young. Night creatures emerge. An owl hoots. The faint scent of a skunk cuts through the smoke. The eyes of some animal peer at Jack from the neighboring tree a possum maybe catching the firelight from the Highs' torches.

Suddenly, Jack's up on one elbow. Those are no possums eyes, the albino knows their glassy reflection too well. In fact, those are not animal eyes at all. In the last dim rays of light, he makes her out, watching him silently from between the branches. Vanellope.

How long has she been here? The whole time probably. Still and unobserved as the action unfolded beneath her. Perhaps she headed up her tree shortly before Jack did, hearing the pack was so close.

For a while they hold each other's gaze. Then, without even rustling a leaf, her little hand slides into the open and points to something above Jack's head.

**A/N: I made Hiccup too weak here, didn't I? Yeah. It's cute though. I know in the movie Haymitch gets Katniss a medicine by now, but really, the chutes don't come out till the two get together in the cave. I'm thinking of finishing this (and by this, I mean the Nightmare Games part of the trilogy) before I get back to my Disney au's even if Viking and The Frost is two chapter short only. I'm on a roll it seems!**


	11. The Ally

**A/N: Okay. Fanfic went wonkers for a while so it took me awhile to update. It just kept redirecting me to an Error Type 1 page. Not fun. I was so worried I got block or barred or something! Then what would have happened to this fic? Thanks to LuvlyLadyLexi that is if this ficc managed to continue only, which it did so why am I still saying if? We should all thank her now. And to aoshinobi... GUSH! AWWW! THANK YOU FOR MAKING A SKETCH THAT IS INSPIRE FROM THIS! I'M SO TOUCH! SEND IT TO ME AND I MIGHT MAKE IT THE COVER HERE! phozomi gmail . com**

**This is mostly a Jack and Vanellope chapter. Hope you guys will find some way to appreciate it. Good news, the special rule change comes up in the next chapter. You all gotta get excited for that, huh? So I'll try to type with the speed of lighting and you root me on for that, and you can do that by reviewing. Please share your thoughts and tell me I'm doing something right.**

**Okay, as early as now, help me decide on Finnick and Annie's counterparts. I have several couples in mind and different ideas for their story line. For some reasons, I made District 4, their District, crafts here though. So keep that in mind when you think about the choices.**

**-Eugene X Rapunzel (and yes, the Flynn here is different from Eugene here)**

**-Jim Hawkins X Zuko (They're not gonna be a couple. It's a brotherhood thing if I do make it them)**

**-Johnny X Mavis**

**-_X_ (any other couple you suggests. Just be sure that the movie animation is very well known.)**

**Guy and Eep can't be. I already got Guy's role in mind that's perfect for him so yeah. Sorry if you wanted that. **

**The Ally**

_**Hiccup kept squirming and glancing up to Jack, his eyes pleading. Jack bit his lip. Soon. He mouthed. And really, that's all he could think to say. Hiccup nodded and stayed awake. Birds are settling down for the night, singing lullabies to their young. Night creatures emerge. An owl hoots. The faint scent of a skunk cuts through the smoke. The eyes of some animal peer at Jack from the neighboring tree a possum maybe catching the firelight from the Highs' torches. **_

_**Suddenly, Jack's up on one elbow. Those are no possums eyes, the albino knows their glassy reflection too well. In fact, those are not animal eyes at all. In the last dim rays of light, he makes her out, watching him silently from between the branches. Vanellope.**_

_**How long has she been here? The whole time probably. Still and unobserved as the action unfolded beneath her. Perhaps she headed up her tree shortly before Jack did, hearing the pack was so close.**_

_**For a while they hold each other's gaze. Then, without even rustling a leaf, her little hand slides into the open and points to something above Jack's head. **_

**:::::**

Jack's eyes follows the line of her finger up into the foliage above him. At first, he has no idea what she's pointing to, but then, about fifteen feet up, he makes out the vague shape in the dimming light. But of... of what? Some sort of animal? It looks about the size of a raccoon, but it hangs from the bottom of a branch, swaying ever so slightly. There's something else. Among the familiar evening sounds of the woods, Jack can register a low hum. Then he knew. It's a wasp nest.

Fear shoots through him, but he has enough sense to keep still. After all, he didn't know what didn't know what kind of wasps live there. It could be ordinary, or maybe even the _leave-us-alone-and-we'll-leave-you-alone_ type. But this is the Nightmare Games, and ordinary isn't the norm. More likely they will be one of Berk's muttations, tracker jackers, these killer wasps were spawned in a lab and strategically placed, like land mines, around the districts during the war. Larger than regular wasps, they have a distinctive solid gold body and a sting that raises a lump the size of a plum on contact. Most people can't tolerate more than a few stings. Some die at once. If you live, the hallucinations brought on by the venom have actually driven people to madness. And there's another thing, these wasps will hunt down anyone who disturbs their nest and attempt to kill them. That's where the tracker part of the name comes from.

Jack found it a piece of mean joke, about the jackers part. _Jack-_ers. What did that say about him?

After the war, Berk destroyed all the nests surrounding their city, but the ones near the districts were left untouched. Another reminder of their weakness, Jack supposed, just like the Nightmare Games. Another reason to keep inside the fence of District 12. When Jamie and he comes across a tracker jacker nest, they immediately head in the opposite direction.

_So is that what hangs above me?_ Jack looks back to Vanellope for help, but she's melted into her tree.

Given his circumstances, Jack figured it didn't matter what type of wasp nest it is. He's wounded and trapped. Darkness has given him a brief reprieve, but by the time the sun rises, the Highs will have formulated a plan to kill him, then Hiccup. There's no way they could do otherwise after he made them look so stupid. That nest may be the sole option he had left. If he can drop it down on them, they may be able to escape. But he'll risk his life in the process, but that didn't scare him. He'd risk Hiccup's life, who was actually down there with them. NOW That scared him.

Of course, he'll never be able to get in close enough to the actual nest to cut it free. Jack will have to saw off the branch at the trunk and send the whole thing down. The serrated portion of his knife should be able to manage that. But can his hands? And will the vibration from the sawing raise the swarm? And what if the Highs figure out what he's doing and move their camp? That would defeat the whole purpose.

Jack realizes that the best chance he'll have to do the sawing without drawing notice will be during the anthem. That could begin any time. Firstly of course, he had to get Hiccup's attention, so he can be prepared. The boy down below was asleep. Jack took the spear head, dulling the pointed edge just incase, and used his belt as a temporary sling. It wasn't a very good sling. But it wasn't like he needed it to work well enough as a weapon, he just needed it work well enough to wake the boy. So he made his aim and took his shot, smacking Hiccup's cheek and rousing the boy. The brunette blinked his wide eyes, turning as much as he could in Daggur's arms. He caught Jack's eyes and was about to glare for the rude awakening when he saw the albino pointing at something. There was enough that the brunette managed to make out whatever he was pointing, and he blinked, his eyes questioning. Jack therefore showed his knife and made a sawing gesture, pointing to the wasp nest and making a falling gesture. The brunette understood.

Hiccup started to squirm loose from the maniac holding him as Jack dragged himself out of his bag, making sure his knife is secured in his belt, and begins to make his way up the tree. This in itself is dangerous since the branches are becoming precariously thin even for him, but Jack perseveres. He told Hiccup the plan, no point in backing out their only chance. When Jack reaches the limb that supports the nest, the humming becomes more distinctive. But it's still oddly subdued if these are tracker jackers. _It's the smoke, _Jack thinks. _It's sedated them._ This was the one defense the rebels found to battle the wasps.

The seal of Berk shines above him and the anthem blares out.

_It's now or never,_

Jack and begin to saw. Blisters burst on his right hand as he awkwardly drags the knife back and forth. Once he's got a groove, the work requires less effort but it's almost more than the albino can handle. He grits his teeth and saw away occasionally glancing at the sky to register that there were no deaths today. That's all right. The audience will be sated seeing Jack injured and treed and the pack below him, intrigued with the struggle on his operation now. But the anthems running out and Jack's only three quarters of the way through the wood when the music ends, the sky goes dark, and he's forced to stop.

_Now what?_

Jack could probably finish off the job by sense of feel but that may not be the smartest plan. If the wasps are too groggy, if the nest catches on its way down, if he tries to escape, this could all be a deadly waste of time. Jack was this close to give up, but he didn't want to.

_Soon,_

That's what he had mouthed to Hiccup the night before, with the boy frightened and uncomfortable in Daggur's arms. Even if the wasps kills him, he had to make sure the brunette could escape the Highs, and most of all the boy from 2.

In the faint light of the High's torches, Jack inches back down to his fork to find the best surprise he's ever had. Sitting on his sleeping bag is a small plastic pot attached to a silver parachute.

_My first gift from a sponsor!_

Aster must have had it sent in during the anthem. The pot easily fits in the palm of Jack's hand. What can it be? Not food surely. Jack unscrews the lid and he knows by the scent that it's medicine. Cautiously, he probes the surface of the ointment. The throbbing in his fingertip vanishes.

_Jeez_, _Aster._ He whispers. _It's about damn freakin' time..._. But Jack was sincerely grateful. Aster has not abandoned him, or Hiccup. Knowing the exact time to present a gift that would help them both. Not leave them to fend entirely for themself. Jack had to be okay to help himself and Hiccup for this predicament, Aster did know how to make use of sponsors after all, it seems. Jack and Hiccup just had to be together to be able to receive them. Killng two birds with one stone... Or in these case, saving two Lights with one spark.

The cost of this medicine must be astronomical. Probably not one but many sponsors have contributed to buy this one tiny pot. To Jack, it was priceless. He dips two fingers in the jar and gently spread the balm over his calf. The effect is almost magical, erasing the pain on contact, leaving a pleasant cooling sensation behind. This is no herbal concoction that Mrs. Overland grinds up out of woodland plants, its high-tech medicine brewed up in Berk's labs. When Jack's calf is treated, he rubs a thin layer into his hands. After wrapping the pot in the parachute, he nestled it safely away in his pack. Now that the pain has eased, a bird is perched just a few feet from Jack alerts him that a new day is dawning. In the gray morning light, he examines his hands. The medicine has transformed all the angry red patches to a soft baby-skin pink. His leg still feels inflamed, but that burn was far deeper. He applies another coat of medicine and quietly pack up his gear. Whatever happens, he's going to have to move and move fast. He also makes himself eat a cracker and a strip of beef and drink a few cups of water.

Almost nothing stayed in his stomach yesterday, and Jack's already starting to feel the effects of hunger. Below him, he can see the High pack asleep on the ground. By her position, leaning up against the trunk of the tree, Taffyta was supposed to be on guard, but fatigue overcame her. Hiccup was finally out of Daggur's grasp, giving the boy a log to hug in replacement of him, and even better than that was the spear in the brunette's left hand and his own green backpack on the other. The boy intended on waiting for Jack, despite his chance of fleeing quite open already.

As if Jack doubted Hiccup's selflessness at all, but it still elated him.

Jack's eyes squint as they try to penetrate the tree next to him, but he can't make out Vanellope. Since she tipped him off, it only seems fair to warn her. Besides, if he's going to die today, it's either Hiccup or Vanellope he wanted to win. The former because he loved him, the latter because she was too young to die.

Jack called Vanellope's name in a hushed whisper and the eyes appear, wide and alert, at once. She points up to the nest again. He holds up his knife and make a sawing motion. She nods and disappears. There's a rustling in a nearby tree. Then the same noise again a bit farther off. The albino realizes she's leaping from tree to tree. It's all Jack can do not to laugh out loud. Is this what she showed the Gamemakers? Jack imagines her bouncing around the training equipment never touching the floor. She should have gotten at least a ten.

Rosy streaks are breaking through in the east. Jack can't afford to wait any longer, or even have Hiccup wait on him any longer. Compared to the agony of initial climb, this one is a cinch for Jack. At the tree limb that holds the nest, he positions the knife in the groove and he's about to draw the teeth across the wood when he sees something moving. There, on the nest. The bright gold gleam of a tracker jacker lazily making its way across the papery gray surface. No question, it's acting a little subdued, but the wasp is up and moving and that means the others will be out soon as well. Sweat breaks out on the palms of Jack's hands, beading up through the ointment, and he does his best to pat them dry on his shirt. If he doesn't get through this branch in a matter of seconds, the entire swarm could emerge and attack him.

There's no sense in putting it off. He takes a deep breath, grip the knife handle and bear down as hard as he can._ Back, forth, back, forth!_ The tracker jackers begin to buzz and Jack hears them coming out. _Back, forth, back, forth! _A stabbing pain shoots through his knee and Jack knows one has found him and the others will be honing in. _Back, forth, back, forth._ And just as the knife cuts through, Jack shoves the end of the branch as far away from him as he can. It crashes down through the lower branches, snagging temporarily on a few but then twisting free until it smashes with a thud on the ground.

The nest bursts open like an egg, and a furious swarm of tracker jackers takes to the air.

Jack feels a second sting on the cheek, a third on his neck, and their venom almost immediately makes him woozy. If it made him woozy, then he prayed Hiccup wouldn't get a bite on him as he recalled that day in the parade. A spin was enough to make the boy seriously woozy. As much as he loved clinging to the boy, they had to make a steady run for it as soon as Jack makes it down. The albino clings to the tree with one arm while he rips the barbed stingers out of his flesh. Fortunately, only these three tracker jackers had identified him before the nest went down. The rest of the insects have targeted their enemies on the ground.

And Hiccup was on a path, ready to escape as soon as a certain albino touched down.

**:::::**

It's mayhem. The Highs have woken to a full-scale tracker jacker attack. Azula and a few others have the sense to drop everything and bolt. Jack can hear cries of "To the lake! To the lake!" and know they hope to evade the wasps by taking to the water. It must be close if they think they can outdistance the furious insects. Taffyta and another girl, the one from District 4, are not so lucky. They receive multiple stings before they're even out of view. Taffyta appears to go completely mad, shrieking and trying to bat the wasps off with her hand, which is pointless. She calls to the others for help but, of course, no one returns. The girl from District 4 staggers out of sight, although Jack wouldn't bet on her making it to the lake. The albino watches Taffyta fall, twitch hysterically around on the ground for a few minutes, and then go still.

The nest is nothing but an empty shell. The wasps have vanished in pursuit of the others. Jack doesn't think they'll return, and so he scampers down the tree and hit the ground. The poison from the stingers makes him wobbly, and Hiccup rushes towards him from his hiding, practically tackling the boy in desperation. Pulling up a bit when he realize the boy wasn't steady. Relieved, Jack encircled his arms around the brunette's slim waist.

"Gods," Hiccup swore. "That took you long enough!"

Jack gives a shaky laugh, then frowns, seeing the hickey on the brunette's neck. His blood boiled, remembering the nickname given to him a while back. He caressed it, making Hiccup flinched but not recoiling. "Yeah, I know," Jack muttered. "sorry I was late."

Hiccup pulled away, and offered a small smile. "Better than never," He shrugged, and therefore handed over the spear with it's sheath. Jack returned the favor, giving his knife. Knowing Hiccup could better make use of it.

They find their way back to Jack's little pool and submerged themself in the water, just in case any wasps are still on their trail. After about five minutes, Jack drags himself onto the rocks with Hiccup's support, who was not a victim of the wasps. People have not exaggerated the effects of the tracker jacker stings. At one point, he actually thought he saw Emma, and was wondering why she cut her hair or holding a knife, and panicked, thinking that somehow since she really was the one chosen for the games, they got her to be here. Then he realize it was just Hiccup looking over his new weapon, grimacing at it and considering whether he'd even use it for anything liken to killing. The sting on Jack's knee is closer to an orange than a plum in size. A foul-smelling green liquid oozes from the places where Jack pulls out the stingers. Hiccup swatted his hands, telling him to leave them alone. They make their way to a slope and started trekking upwards. Jack kept staring at his stinging skin.

The swelling. The pain. The ooze. Watching Taffyta twitching to death on the ground. It's a lot to handle before the sun has even cleared the horizon. Jack didn't want to think about what Taffyta must look like now. Her body disfigured. Her swollen fingers... Jack searches his mind for a new thought. And something does come, but it isn't any better.

"What's about Toothless?" He asked quietly.

Hiccup's shoulder shook, and he tried to steel himself. "I lost him in the fire attack... Not sure where he took off to after his bounds burnt off..." He admitted.

"Well, that doesn't mean he's dead." Jack told him. "we'll find him. Didn't you tell me once he could always seem to find you?"

Hiccup nodded, but you can clearly see he wasn't about to hope for anything. Not while in the arena. Suddenly, his eyes shot open, and he stared at Jack.

"Why do I not like the look of that?"

"The waistpack! It has the slings you can use, other spearheads and even a crook! Similar to the ones you used back home, right? It's still with Taffyta." Somewhere in Jack's befuddled mind one thought connects to another and he's on his feet, teetering through the trees back to Taffyta. The waistpack. It's supplies. Hiccup's right to be alarmed, Jack must get them. Then the two may even stand a chance. They haven't heard the cannons fire yet, so perhaps Taffyta is in some sort of coma, her heart still struggling against the wasp venom. But once it stops and the cannon signals her death, a hovercraft will move in and retrieve her body, taking the only complementing supplies to Jack's spear the boys have seen out of the Games for good. And either of them refused to let the supplies slip through their fingers. If Jack was going to survive, he neeeded those supplies, those ammo. If the boy was gonna make sure he can better protect Hiccup later, he needed them bad.

They reach Taffyta just as the cannon fires. The tracker jackers have vanished. This girl, so breathtakingly beautiful in her pink-rose and gemmed gown the night of the interviews, is unrecognizable. Her features eradicated, her limbs three times their normal size. The pack is pinned under her back. Jack tries to roll over her body by pulling on one arm, but the flesh disintegrates in his hands and he fell back on the ground.

_Is this real? Or have the hallucinations begun?_

Jack squeezes his eyes tight and try to breathe through his mouth, ordering himself not to become sick. Breakfast must stay down, it might be days before he can hunt again. Even if Hiccup was sane enough to hunt, he wasn't gonna let the boy go off without him on his own. A second cannon fires and Jack's guessing the girl from District 4 has just died. The boys hear the birds fall silent and then one give the warning call, which means a hovercraft is about to appear. Confused, Jack think it's for Taffyta, although this doesn't quite make sense because they were still in the picture, still fighting for the supplies. He lurches back onto his knees and the trees around him begin to spin in circles. In the middle of the sky, Hiccup spots the hovercraft. He struggled with Taffyta's body for the waistpack when he realize Jack was having trouble with the stings to do it himself. Then they see the girl from District 4 being lifted into the air and vanishing and Hiccup yanks the pack free, dragging Jack and himself out of the way, fearing a spear could impale either of them if they stayed too long, but that was ridiculous. Hiccup just can't help but feel that this scenario was just like with the Sandys.

Then they hear the footsteps, several pairs, coming through the underbrush, and the boys realize the Highs have come back. They've come back to kill them or get their weapons or both.

_Is it too late to run? It could be._ Jack swings the pack to his waist as he grabbed it from the brunette and he takes out a slimy spearhead from the pack, attaching it to the spear's slot, the stench from the stings is so repulsive. _I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't do it._

He's weak and powerless as the first hunter crashes through the trees, sword lifted, it was Daggur.

Hiccup snaps at the Jack, putting the spear back into the sheathe and forces him to take off with him, not wanting to be captured by the Deranged District 2 boy once more. Hiccup was indeed fast, even while tugging Jack along behind him. Behind the boys, Daggur slashes his way through the brush and goes after them. He's sparkling wet, badly stung under one eye. He throws a dagger, Hiccup ducks through it, pulling Jack to keep up with him in his woozy state. In the process, his leg gets caught in twisted roots and the brunette howled in pain as it bends in the wrong way making more than just a bad sprain to his already limping leg. Hiccup could barely keep running, and Jack's weight leaning the opposite direction from where Hiccup wanted to go didn't help, forcing him to follow the said boy's weight over an edge.

The world seemed to bend in alarming ways for Jack. A butterfly balloons to the size of a house then shatters into a million stars. Trees transform to blood and splash down over his boots. Ants begin to crawl out of the blisters on his hands and he can't shake them free. They're climbing up his arms, his neck. Someone's screaming, a long high pitched scream that never breaks for breath until there was a loud sound the seemed to be waves splashing.

Jack was too disoriented to register that they've fallen some sort of edge and into a flowing river.

The albino had a vague idea the scream might be him. All he sees is a brown blur with something green attached to it trying to reach him but being taken another direction into a small pit lined with tiny orange bubbles that hum like the tracker jacker nest. Sinking and submerging into something cool, Jack waits for death. Sick and disoriented, he's able to form only one thought: Hiccup was once again separated from him. And it was his own woozy fault.

"JACK!"

That's the last thing he hears. Then the ants bore into my eyes and he blacks out.

**:::::**

Jack enters a nightmare from which he wakes repeatedly only to find a greater terror awaiting him. All the things he dreaded most, all the things he dreads for others manifest in such vivid detail he can't help but believe they're real. Each time he wakes, he thinks, At last, this is over, but it isn't. It's only the beginning of a new chapter of torture. How many ways does he watch Emma die? Relive his father's last moments despite never once seeing it for himself? Sees his mother walk blindy off a cliff? Feel his own body ripped apart? Watch Hiccup violated and molested before his very eyes? This is the nature of the tracker jacker venom, so carefully created to target the place where fear lives in your brain.

When Jack finally does come to his senses, he lies still, waiting for the next onslaught of imagery. But eventually he accepted that the poison must have finally worked its way out of his system, leaving his body wracked and feeble. He's still lying on his side, locked in the fetal position. Jack lifts a hand to his eyes to find them sound, untouched by ants that never existed. Simply stretching out his limbs requires an enormous effort. So many parts of him hurt, it doesn't seem worthwhile taking inventory of them. Very, very slowly Jack manages to sit up. He's in a shallow hole, not filled with the humming orange bubbles of his hallucination but with old, dead leaves. His clothings damp, but he doesn't know whether pond water, dew, rain, or sweat is the cause. Doesn't remember the river he fell into. For a long time, all Jack can do is take tiny sips from his bottle and watch a beetle crawl up the side of a honeysuckle bush.

How long has he been out? It was morning when he lost his mind. Now it's afternoon. But the stiffness in his joints suggests more than a day has passed, even two possibly. If so, he'll have no way of knowing which Lights survived that tracker jacker attack. Not Taffyta or the girl from District 4. But there was the boy from District 1, both Lights from District 2, Daggur and Azula. Did they die from the stings? Certainly if they lived, their last days must have been as horrid as his own. And what about Vanellope? She's so small, it wouldn't take much venom to do her in. But then again... the tracker jackers would've had to catch her, and she had a good head start.

A foul, rotten taste pervades Jack's mouth, and the water has little effect on it. He drags himself over to the honeysuckle bush and pluck a flower. He gently pulls the stamen through the blossom and set the drop of nectar on his tongue. The sweetness spreads through his mouth, down his throat, warming his veins with memories of summer, and my home woods and Jamie's presence beside him. For some reason, the discussion from that last morning comes back to him.

_"We could do it, you know."_

_"What?" _

_"Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it."_

And suddenly, Jack's not thinking of considering the idea of fleeing with Jamie but with Hiccup and...

Hiccup!

Jack shot up from wherever he sat, looking around. There was his newly obtained spear in its sheath with the waistpack that bear no trace of the noxious green slime that came from Taffyta's body, which leads Jack to believe that might not have been wholly real but they have a fair amount of dried blood on them. He can clean them later, but he does get a sling and take a minute to shoot a few spearhead into a nearby tree expermientally, managing to catch two squirrels by surprise, kiling them in an instant. They are more like the weapons in the Training Center than the one's back at home, but that he could work with. He knew he had tough opponents left to face. But he's no longer merely prey that runs and hides or takes desperate measures. If Daggur broke through the trees right now, Jack wouldn't flee, he'd fight and kill, him especially. Jack would find that he's actually anticipating the moment with pleasure if he wasn't still searching for what was missing.

Hiccup.

He then sees a few herbal leaves stuck up against his arms like makeshift bandages, and knew they were the kinds that nursed wounds and gives off a scent that eases hallucinations. He hoped Hiccup had been the one who placed them on him, and just went off to search for food. But he doubted the boy would leave him out in the opening or hunt with only a knife. But there's no one else there. No one Jack can see anyway. Then he spots the tip of a child's boot just peeking out from behind the trunk of a tree. He was disappointed at the realization but his shoulders relax and he grins. _She can move through the woods like a shadow, you have to give her that._ _How else could she have followed me?_ The words come out of his mouth before he can stop them.

"You know, they're not the only ones who can form alliances," He says.

For a moment, no response. Then one of Vanellope's eyes edges around the trunk. "You want me for an ally?"

"Why not? You saved me with those tracker jackers. You're smart enough to still be alive. And I cant seem to shake you anyway," Jack shrugged. She blinks at him, trying to decide. "You hungry?" Jack can see her swallow hard, eyeing the two squirrels Jack maimed. "Come on then, I've had two kills today."

Vanellope tentatively steps out into the open. "I fixed your stings and your hallucination problem." she says incase Jack needed more motivation not to kill her.

"Kinda figured that out on my own."

"Then can you also figure out on your own that your breath smells, not exactly complimenting your teeth?"

"Hey."

"No wonder that brunette won't kiss you yet."

"Hey!" Jack blushed heatedly at the banter when he realizes something. "Do you know what happened to him?"

Vanellope nodded, giving him a pointed look. "I saw it happen. Because of your tipsiness, both of you ended up falling over an edge to a raging river." She informed the albino. "he flowed off a different way, although he did struggle to get to you, well, more than you did anyway,"

Jack's shoulders slumped dejectedly.

"Nice going, lover boy."

Jack growled at that, but without heat.

"Hey, why is your hair so freakishly white?"

Jack huffed. "Uh I don't know, why are you so _freakishly _annoying?" He shot back. Vanellope was about to comment when she saw something fall off Jack's pack.

"Sweet mother of monkey-milk!" She screams when she sees the sunglasses. "How did you get those?" she asked.

Jack looked at his pack, following the direction of her eyes. "In my pack. They've been useless so far. They don't block the sun and they make it harder to see,"

Vanellope narrowed her eyes. "Hey genius, these aren't for sun, they're for darkness," she says this with matching eye roll. "Sometimes, when we harvest through the night, they'll pass out a few pairs to those of us highest in the trees. Where the torchlight doesn't reach. One time, this boy Bill, we call him sour bill, he tried to keep his pair. Hid it in his pants. They killed him on the spot."

"They killed a boy for taking these?"

"Yes, and everyone knew he was no danger. Sour bill wasn't right in the head. I mean, he still acted like a three-year-old. He just wanted the glasses to play with," says Vanellope.

Hearing this makes Jack feel like District 12 is some sort of safe haven. Of course, people keel over from starvation all the time, but he can't imagine the Guardians murdering a simpleminded child. There's a little girl, one of Gothi's grandkids, who wanders around the Hob. She's not quite right, but she's treated as a sort of pet. People toss her scraps and things.

"So what do these do?" Jack takes the glasses.

"They let you see in complete darkness," says Vanellope. "Try them tonight when the sun goes down."

Then both their stomach growls. Jack smirked, "How about you grab those squirrels and I start up some smoke to cook it with?"

"You weren't joking, about wanting me for an ally?" Vanellope asks.

"No, I meant it," Jack said. He can almost hear Aster groaning as he teams up with this wispy child. But Jack wanted her. Because she's a survivor, and he trusted her, and why not admit it? She reminds him of Emma if you didn't count the sassy personality.

"Okay," she says, and holds out her hand. They shake. "It's a deal."

Of course, this kind of deal can only be temporary, but neither of them mentions that. Vanellope contributes a big handful of some sort of starchy root to the meal. Roasted over the fire, they have the sharp sweet taste of a parsnip. For a while, all conversation stops as they fill their stomachs. The grease drips down their face when they bite into it.

"Oh," says Vanellope with a sigh. "I've never had a whole leg to myself before."

Jack can bet she hasn't. He'll bet meat hardly ever comes her way. "Take the other,"

"Really?" she asks.

"Take whatever you want. Now that I've got a spear and ammo pack, I can get more. Plus I've got snares. I can show you how to set them," Jack says. Vanellope still looks uncertainly at the leg. "Oh, take it," The albino says, putting the drumstick in her hands. Crossing his arms so she can't return it. It will only keep a few days anyway, once she's got hold of it, her appetite wins out and she takes a huge mouthful. "I'd have thought, in District Eleven, you'd have a bit more to eat than us. You know, since you grow the food,"

"Nah, we're not allowed to eat the crops."

"They arrest you or something?"

"They whip you and make everyone else watch," says Vanellope. "The mayor's very strict about it."

Jack can tell by her expression that it's not that uncommon an occurrence. A public whippings a rare thing in District 12, although occasionally one occurs. Technically, Jamie and Jack could be whipped on a daily basis for poaching in the woods... Well, technically, they could get a whole lot worse except all the officials buy their meat. Besides, the mayor, Hiccup's friend, Heather's father, doesn't seem to have much taste for such events. Maybe being the least prestigious, poorest, most ridiculed district in the country has its advantages. Such as, being largely ignored by Berk as long as they produce their ice quotas.

Leave it to Berk to find uses for it. With so much snow year round, District 12 rarely has use for it at all.

"Do you get all the ice you want?" Vanellope asks.

Jack shakes his head. "No, and not much use for it even if we did. We get all the snow we want, though." He jokes.

"They feed us a bit extra during harvest, so that people can keep going longer," says Vanellope, pertaining to the harvest.

"Don't you have to be in school?" Jack raised a brow.

"Not during harvest. Everyone works then,"

Jack found It's interesting, hearing about her life. There's so little communication with anyone outside his own district. In fact, Jack wondered if the Gamemakers are blocking out their conversation, because even though the information seems harmless, they don't want people in different districts to know about one another.

At Vanellope's suggestion, they lay out all their food to plan ahead. She's seen most of Jack's, but he added the last couple of crackers and beef strips to the pile. She's gathered quite a collection of roots, nuts, greens, and even some berries.

Jack rolls an unfamiliar berry in my fingers, trying to recall if Hiccup said anything about it. "You sure this is safe?"

Vanellope looks over. "Oh, sure, we have them back home. I've been eating them for days," she says, popping a handful in her mouth. Jack tentatively bites into one, and it's as good as blackberries. Taking Vanellope on as an ally seems a better choice after all. They divide up their food supplies, so in case they were separated, they'll both be set for a few days. Apart from the food, the girl has a small water skin, a homemade slingshot, and an extra pair of socks. She also has a sharp shard of rock she uses as a knife.

"I know it's not much," she says as if embarrassed, "but It's all I got, I had to get away from the Cornucopia fast."

"You did just right," I say.

Vanellope snorted. "Says the boy who stayed and tried to have a take the spear," She counterpoints. "nice job getting sprayed by the blood, by the way."

Jack scowled, flushing. He gives her some matches and she makes sure Jack had plenty of leaves in case his stings flare up again. They extinguish their fire and head upstream until it's almost nightfall.

"Where do you sleep?" Jack asked her. "In the trees?" She nods. "In just your jacket?"

Vanellope holds up her extra pair of socks. "I have these for my hands and bundle myself up like a little homeless lady," She said, feigning the last part with a cute whiny voice.

Jack thinks of how cold the nights have been. "You can share my sleeping bag if you want. We'll both easily fit."

Her face lights up. Jack can tell this is more than she dared hope for. "Good thing you're gay," She jokes though. The albino flushes once more.

They pick a fork high in a tree and settle in for the night just as the anthem begins to play. There were no deaths today. "Hey kid, I only woke up today. How many nights did I miss?"

"Two," she says. "The girls from Districts One and Four are dead. There's ten of us left." Jack nodded, and opens his mouth to asked about Hiccup but Vanellope beats him to it. "So, is it true?"

Jack raises a brow. "Huh?"

"You know," Vanellope bats her eyes. "_You and him," _Jack makes a face. She just laughed. "Come on, you were gonna ask about him anyway. Anyway, I think he's okay though, wherever he'll be, it's near water. We can go find him tomorrow, if you want. So, did he break your heart when he signed up with those Highs to kill you?"

Jack shook his head. "More like he was held hostage," He shrugged. "Maybe the Highs wanted us to play the Damsel-in-Distress and Knight-in-Shining armor scenario, I guess."

"Yeah which one are you in those choices?" Vanellop smirked.

Jack raises a brow, "The Knight, duh. Or was the hostage taking not enough hint to Hiccup's role?"

"I don't know," Vanellope grinned. "you're the gay one."

Jack huffed indignantly. "Would you please sto-" He trailed off when Vanellope raised her fingers excitedly.

"One more, one more," she insisted. Jack moaned and waited. "Why would a girl break up with you if you were her boyfriend? Say why,"

Scrunching up his nose, making a scowl, Jack complied. "Why?"

"Because you weren't _straight_ with her!"

Jack groaned. "Is this gonna be a regular thing with you?"

The anthem ends and the sky goes dark. Jack tries out the glasses, pulling them out and slips them on. Vanellope wasn't kidding. Jack can see everything from the leaves on the trees to a skunk strolling through the bushes a good fifty feet away. He could kill it from here if he had a mind to. He could kill anyone.

"I wonder who else got a pair of these," Jack says.

"The Highs have two pairs. But they've got everything down by the lake," Vanellope says. "And gotta admit, they're so strong."

"We're strong, too," Jack pointed out. "Just in a different way."

"You are. You can throw a spear," she says. "What can I do?"

"You can feed yourself." Jack frowned. She was almost as bad as Hiccup in underrating. "Can they?" He retorts.

"They don't need to, genius. They have all those supplies," Vanellope says.

"Say they didn't. Say the supplies were gone. How long would they last?" Jack asked pointedly. "They'd battle hunger, and might not win."

"But, Jack, they're not hungry,"

"No, they're not. That's the problem," Jack agrees. He comes up with a plan. A plan that isn't motivated by the need for flight and evasion. An offensive plan. "I think we're going to have to fix that, kid."

Looks like finding Hiccup would have to wait.

**:::::**

Vanellope has decided to trust Jack wholeheartedly. He knows this because as soon as the anthem finishes she snuggles up against him and falls asleep. Nor does Jack have any misgivings about her, as he takes no particular precautions. If she'd wanted him dead, all she would have had to do was disappear from that tree without pointing out the tracker jacker nest. Needling him, at the very back of his mind, is the obvious. Both of them can't win these Games. But since the odds are still against either of them surviving, Jack manages to ignore the thought the same way he can't go home together with Hiccup.

Besides, Jack's distracted by his latest idea about the Highs and their supplies. Somehow Vanellope and he must find a way to destroy their food. He's pretty sure feeding themselves will be a tremendous struggle. Traditionally, the High Lights strategy is to get hold of all the food early on and work from there. The years when they have not protected it well, one year a pack of hideous reptiles destroyed it, another a Gamemakers flood washed it away, those are usually the years that Lights from other districts have won. That the Highs have been better fed growing up is actually to their disadvantage, because they don't know how to be hungry. Not the way Jack, Hiccup and Vanellope does.

But Jack's too exhausted to begin any detailed plan tonight. His wounds recovering, his mind still a bit foggy from the venom, and the warmth of Vanellope at his side, her head cradled on his shoulder, have given him a sense of security. It wasn't Hiccup's warmth, but Jack figured he shouldn't get used to that too much. Jack realizes, for the first time, how very lonely he's been in the arena. How comforting the presence of another human being can be. His reunion with Hiccup was short-lived. Jack gives in to his drowsiness, resolving that tomorrow the tables will turn. Tomorrow, it's the Highs who will have to watch their backs.

**:::::**

The boom of the cannon jolts Jack awake. The sky's streaked with light, the birds already chattering. Vanellope perches in a branch across from him, her hands cupping something. They wait, listening for more shots, but there aren't any.

"Who do you think that was?" Jack can't help thinking of Hiccup.

"I dunno. It could have been any of the others," says Vanellope. "I guess we'll know tonight."

"Who's left again?" Jack asked.

"The boy from District One. Both tributes from Two. The boy from Three. Ralph and me. And you and Hamish," says Vanellope. "That's eight. Wait, and the boy from Ten, the one with the bad arm. He makes nine."

There's someone else, but neither of us can remember who it is. "Wished it's that boy from two," Jack mutters darkly.

"Because he sorta kissed your man?" Vanellope guessed. Jack blinked and looked at her. "Hey, just pieces to the puzzle," He squinted his eyes at her.

"How long were you on that tree?"

"Long enough," She just laughed. "I wonder how that last one died," she said.

"No telling. But it's good for us. A death should hold the crowd for a bit. Maybe we'll have time to do something before the Gamemakers decide things have been moving too slowly," Jack says. "What's in your hands?"

"Breakfast," says Vanellope. She holds them out revealing two big eggs.

"What kind are those?"

"Not sure. There's a marshy area over that way. Some kind of waterbird," she says.

It'd be nice to cook them, but neither of them wants to risk a fire. The two guessed that the Light who died today was a victim of the Highs, which means they've recovered enough to be back in the Games. The two each suck out the insides of an egg, eat a squirrel leg and some berries. It's a good breakfast anywhere.

"Ready to do it?" Jack asked, pulling on his pack.

"Do what?" Vanellope questions, but by the way she bounces up, Jack could tell she's up for whatever he proposes.

"Today we take out the Highs food,"

"Really? How?" Jack sees the glint of excitement in her eyes. In this way, she's exactly the opposite of Emma for whom adventures are an ordeal.

"No idea. Come on, we'll figure out a plan while we hunt,"

**:::::**

They didn't get much hunting done though because Jack's too busy getting every scrap of information he can out of Vanellope about the Highs base. She's only been in to spy on them briefly, but she's observant.

"They have set up their camp beside the lake. Their supply stash is about thirty yards away. During the day, they've been leaving another Light, the boy from District 3, to watch over the supplies."

"The boy from District Three? He's working with them?"

"Yes, he stays at the camp full-time. He got stung, too, when they drew the tracker jackers in by the lake, I guess they agreed to let him live if he acted as their guard. But hes not very big."

"What weapons does he have?"

"Not much that I could see. A few knives. He might be able to hold a few of us off with them if he's got good aim, but I bet Ralphie could kill him easily barehanded, he has freakishly big hands," says Vanellope. She had a thing for pointing out a person's freakish quality.

"And the food's just out in the open?" Jack asked.

Vanellope nods. "Something's not quite right about that whole setup." She said. Jack agreed. "But I couldn't tell what exactly," she admitted. "Jack, even if you could get to the food, how would you get rid of it?"

"Burn it. Dump it in the lake. Soak it in fuel." He pokes Vanellope in the belly, just like he would Emma. "Eat it!" She giggles. "Don't worry, I'll think of something. Destroying things is much easier than making them."

For a while, they dig roots, gather berries and greens, they devised a strategy in hushed voices. And Jack comes to know Vanellope, the oldest of six kids in their District's community home, nothing like District 12's, she's fiercely protective of them, gives her rations to the younger ones, she forages in the meadows in a district where the Guardians are far less obliging than the one's in Jack's. She even tips him off on Hiccup.

"Your boyfriend likes Dragons, I think. And drawing."

Jack blushed. "He's not my-" He let it frop midway, knowing it was no used. "Dragons huh?"

"Yeah, before he got captured, if we go along with your version of the story,"

Jack scowled. "He _was_ captured." No way would he willingly go with that crazy kid.

"So anyway, if he draws you then that might be a step up. I saw him sketching on ground dirt. He was drawing a bunch of Dragons, flying even though they really can't now. His cat was still with him, and another hint is that he has that Nightfury pin," Vanellope scrunches up her nose. "Kinda dangerous,"

Jack thought about it. "Not really, it did save him rather than eat him."

"Not that, genius," Vanellope rolled her eyes. "Having a Nightfury pin."

Jack cocked his head. "How come?"

"Say he wins, the pin will be iconic for a while. Made into the trending merchandise after the games," The girl explained. "and, well, you know... how about that for another slap in the face for Berk? It is seen as the symbol of rebellion after all. But it could be worse, I guess."

Jack raised a curious brow "How so?" The albino asked.

"It'd be worse if he was the outspoken rebel-type," she said carelessly as if it were nothing. "as if he there's sonmething he wanted to prove."

Jack fell cold and silent, remembering Hiccup's words on the roof.

_...I don't know how to say it exactly. Only... I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense? _

_...but if I had a choice, I wouldn't give in to them. Only, I keep wishing I could think of a way to... to show Berk they don't own me. Any of us. I want to prove to them that we're more than just a pawn in their Games,"_

**:::::**

By lunch, they have a plan. By early afternoon, they are poised to carry it out. Jack helps Vanellope collect and place the wood for the first two campfires, the third shell have time for on her own. They decided to meet afterward at the site where they ate their first meal together. The stream should help guide Jack back to it. Before he leaves, he makes sure Vanellope's well stocked with food and matches. He even insists she takes the sleeping bag, in case it's not possible to rendezvous by nightfall.

"What about you? Won't you be cold?" she asks.

Jack grinned. "Hey, I live with snow the best part of my life. Besides, gotta live up to my stage name. And I can always pick up another bag down by the lake," he shrugged. "You know, stealing isn't illegal here,"

They made a deal to signal each other with three smoke puffs. Four, to say that they can't make it back in time.

"If all goes according to plan, I'll see you for dinner,"

Unexpectedly, Vanellope throws her arms around him. She never crossed Jack as affectionate. He only hesitates a moment before he hugs her back.

"You be careful," she says to him.

"You, too," he says. Jack turned and head back to the stream, feeling somehow worried. About Vanellope being killed, about her not being killed and the two of them being left for last, about leaving her alone, about leaving Emma alone back home. No, Emma has Mrs. Overland and Jamie.

Vanellope has only Jack.

**A/N: Yeah, so, please tell me you got the straight joke of Vanellope's. Because like Drac said in Hotel Transylvania "Don't explain, it's not funny when you do that." and it was the best I can come up with. Please review and respond to my plea of help in regards to Finnick and Annie's casting. I can't decide which story you guys would like to hear most. I saw review your answer okay? Not PM. For the sake of the guest reviewers.**

**If it helps, I'm considering not killing off Finnick here.**


	12. The Team

**A/N: Agh. Freakin agh. It happened again. This time I couldn't open the properties link to update the Nightmare Games in particular. But I can open manage stories. Freakin' agh. If worse comes to worse folks, PM me your emails so I can just send you copies of this when it's over. So yeah, hoped you enjoyed the former chapter. Get ready for this one, the rule change if this does get to come out. Guys! Please review, and if you just started reading this, please go back to some of the chapters and review them too. I want thoughts! And please guys, Finnick and Annie! Who do you want to play them?**

**The Team**

_**Unexpectedly, Vanellope throws her arms around him. She never crossed Jack as affectionate. He only hesitates a moment before he hugs her back.**_

_**"You be careful," she says to him.**_

_**"You, too," he says. Jack turned and head back to the stream, feeling somehow worried. About Vanellope being killed, about her not being killed and the two of them being left for last, about leaving her alone, about leaving Emma alone back home. No, Emma has Mrs. Overland and Jamie.**_

_**Vanellope has only Jack.**_

**:::::**

Once Jack reaches the stream, he only has to follow it downhill to the place he initially picked up after the tracker jacker attack. He has to be cautious as he moves along the water though, because he find his thoughts preoccupied with unanswered questions, most of which concerns Hiccup. _The cannon that fired early this morning, did that signify his death?_ Jack could only hope not. If so, how did he die? At the hand of a High? He at least hope it wasn't Daggur, because of course, something would have come before the killing part, and that part chilled Jack to the bone. The albino struggles again to remember that moment over Taffyta's body and afterwards, when Daggur bursted through the trees. But he can't even remember what happened after he got the spear, only gravity pulling him somewhere.

Jack stops to replenish his water in a river he suspected he came out from. He didn't have any reason to doubt Vanellope's version of what happened on how he got separated from Hiccup. He also suspected it was Vanellope who pulled him out of it. Jack also adds a layer of mud to his backpack. It seems bent on reverting to blue no matter how many times he covers it.

His proximity to the High's camp sharpens his senses, and the closer Jack gets to them, the more guarded he is, pausing frequently to listen for unnatural sounds, an spearhead already attached to the slot. He doesn't see any other Lights, but he does notice some of the things Vanellope has mentioned. Patches of the sweet berries. A bush with the leaves that healed his stings and hallucinations. Clusters of tracker jacker nests in the vicinity of the tree he was trapped in. And here and there, the black-and-white flash of a bird's wing in the branches high over his head.

When Jack reaches the tree with the abandoned nest at the foot, he pauses a moment, to gather his courage. Vanellope has given specific instructions on how to reach the best spying place near the lake from this point. _Remember,_ Jack tells himself. _You're the hunter now, not them._ He get a firmer grasp on my bow and go on. He makes it to the vantage point Vanellope told him about and again have to admire her cleverness. It's right at the edge of the wood, but the bushy foliage is so thick down low Jack can easily observe the High camp without being spotted. Between him and it lies the flat expanse where the Games began.

There are four Lights. The boy from District 1, Daggur and Azula, and a scrawny, ashen-skinned boy who must be from District 3. He made almost no impression on Jack at all during their time in Berk. He can remember almost nothing about him, not his costume, not his training score, not his interview. Even now, as he sits there fiddling with some kind of plastic box, he's easily ignored in the presence of his large and domineering companions. But he must be of some value or they wouldn't have bothered to let him live. Still, seeing him only adds to Jack's sense of unease over why the Highs would possibly leave him as a guard, why they have allowed him to live at all.

All four Lights seem to still be recovering from the tracker jacker attack. Even from here, the albino can see the large swollen lumps on their bodies. They must not have had the sense to remove the stingers, or if they did, not known about the leaves that healed them. Apparently, whatever medicines they found in the Cornucopia have been ineffective.

The Cornucopia sits in its original position, but its insides have been picked clean. Most of the supplies, held in crates, burlap sacks, and plastic bins, are piled neatly in a pyramid in what seems a questionable distance from the camp. Others are sprinkled around the perimeter of the pyramid, almost mimicking the layout of supplies around the Cornucopia at the onset of the Games. A canopy of netting that, aside from discouraging birds, seems to be useless shelters the pyramid itself.

The whole setup is completely perplexing. The distance, the netting, and the presence of the boy from District 3. One thing's for sure, destroying those supplies is not going to be as simple as it looks. Some other factor is at play here, and Jack stays put until he figures out what it is. His guess was the pyramid is booby-trapped in some manner. Jack thinks of concealed pits, descending nets, a thread that when broken sends a poisonous dart into your heart. Really, the possibilities are endless.

While Jack was mulling over my options, he hears Daggur shout out. He's pointing up to the woods, far beyond the albino, and without turning Jack knows that Vanellope must have set the first campfire. They'd made sure to gather enough green wood to make the smoke noticeable. The Highs begin to arm themselves at once.

An argument breaks out. It's loud enough for Jack to hear that it concerns whether or not the boy from District 3 should stay or accompany them.

"He's coming. We need him in the woods, and his job's done here anyway. No one can touch those supplies,"

"What about Lover Boy?" says the boy from District 1. "Or his freckled-brunette?"

"He's _MY _freckled-brunette. I left my mark."

Jack was clearly tempted to send a spearhead on Daggur's own head.

"Yeah Daggur, we all saw." Axula rolls her eyes.

"Come on, already." says Daggur. He thrusts a pilum into the hands of the boy from District 3, and they head off in the direction of the fire. The last thing Jack hears as they enter the woods is Daggur saying, "When we find him, I kill him in my own way, and no one interferes."

Jack knew he wasn't talking about Hiccup. Hell, while Jack was madly in love with the brunette, the Derange guy was madly lusting over him. And in any case, Hiccup couldn't have drop a nest of tracker jackers on him. Jack stayed put for a half an hour or so, trying to figure out what to do about the supplies. The one advantage he had with the spear and sling with it ammo is distance. He could send it flaming into the pyramid easily enough. He was a good enough shot to get it through those openings in the net but there's no guarantee it would catch. More likely it'd just burn itself out and then what? Jack would have achieved nothing and given them far too much information about himself. That he was there, that he had an accomplice, whether they guessed it was Hiccup or another wouldn't matter, and that he can use the spear and ammo with accuracy.

_There's no alternative. I'm going to have to get in closer..._

He needed to see if he can't discover what exactly protects the supplies. In fact, he's just about to reveal himself when a movement catches his eye. Several hundred yards to his right, Jack sees someone emerge from the woods. For a second, he thinks it's Vanellope, but then he recognizes Tigerface. She's the one they couldn't remember this morning creeping out onto the plain. When she decides it's safe, she runs for the pyramid, with quick, small steps. Just before she reaches the circle of supplies that have been littered around the pyramid, she stops, searches the ground, and carefully places her feet on a spot. Then she begins to approach the pyramid with strange little hops, sometimes landing on one foot, teetering slightly, sometimes risking a few steps. At one point, she launches up in the air in a somersault, over a small barrel and lands poised on her tiptoes. But she overshot slightly, and her momentum throws her forward. Jack heard her give a sharp squeal as her hands hit the ground, but nothing happens. In a moment, she's regained her feet and continues until she has reached the bulk of the supplies.

Jack was right about the booby trap, but it's clearly more complex than he had imagined. He thinks of the girl. How wily is she to have discovered this path into the food and to be able to replicate it so neatly. She fills her pack, taking a few items from a variety of containers, crackers from a crate, a handful of apples from a burlap sack that hangs suspended from a rope off the side of a bin. But only a handful from each, not enough to tip off that the food is missing. Not enough to cause suspicion. And then she's doing her odd little dance back out of the circle and scampering into the woods again, safe and sound.

Jack realizes he's grinding his sparkly white teeth in frustration. Tigerface has confirmed what he'd already guessed. But what sort of trap have they laid that requires such dexterity? Has so many trigger points? Why did she squeal so as her hands made contact with the earth? And slowly it begins to dawn on Jack, it could be that the very ground was going to explode.

_Its mined,_ Jack realized.

That explains everything. The Highs willingness to leave their supplies, Tigerface's reaction, the involvement of the boy from District 3, where they have the factories, where they make televisions and automobiles and explosives. But where did he get them? In the supplies? That's not the sort of weapon the Gamemakers usually provide, given that they like to see the Lights draw blood personally. Jack slips out of the bushes and cross to one of the round metal plates that lifted the Lights into the arena. The ground around it has been dug up and patted back down. The land mines were disabled after the sixty seconds they stood on the plates, but the boy from District 3 must have managed to reactivate them. Jack have never seen anyone in the Games do that. He bets it came as a shock even to the Gamemakers.

_Well, hurray for the boy from District 3 for putting one over on them, _Jack pouted. So what was he supposed to do now? Obviously, he cant go strolling into that mess without blowing himself sky-high. As for sending in a burning spear, that's more laughable than ever. The mines are set off by pressure. It doesn't have to be a lot, either. One year, a girl dropped her token, a small wooden ball, while she was at her plate, and they literally had to scrape bits of her off the ground. Jack was quick enough to cover Emma's eyes when he realize what was about to happen that time.

Jack's arms' pretty good, he might be able to chuck some rocks in there and set off what? Maybe one mine? That could start a chain reaction. Or could it? Would the boy from District 3 have placed the mines in such a way that a single mine would not disturb the others? Thereby protecting the supplies but ensuring the death of the invader. Even if Jack only blew up one mine, he'd draw the Highs back down on him for sure. And anyway, what was he thinking? There's that net, clearly strung to deflect any such attack. Besides, what he'd really need is to throw about thirty rocks in there at once, setting off a big chain reaction, demolishing the whole lot.

He glances back up at the woods. The smoke from Vanellope's second fire is wafting toward the sky. By now, the Highs have probably begun to suspect some sort of trick. Time is running out.

There is a solution to this, Jack knew there was, if he can only focus hard enough. He stares at the pyramid, the bins, the crates, too heavy to topple over with a spear. Maybe one contains cooking oil, and the burning arrow idea is reviving when Jack realizes, _I could end up losing all..._ He took a moment to count... _twelve of my spearheads._ And not get a direct hit on an oil bin, since he'd just be guessing. He could use it plainly as a spear, but he'll never know when Distance shot would be needed later. Jack's genuinely thinking of trying to re-create Tigerface's trip up to the pyramid in hopes of finding a new means of destruction when his eyes light on the burlap bag of apples. He could sever the rope in one shot, didn't he do as much in the Training Center? It's a big bag, but it still might only be good for one explosion. If only he could free the apples themselves...

_I know what to do._

Jack moves into range and give himself three spearheads to get the job done. He attaches the sling and settled his feet carefully, block out the rest of the world as he takes meticulous aim. The first spearhead tears through the side of the bag near the top, leaving a split in the burlap. The second widens it to a gaping hole. Jack can see the first apple teetering when he lets the third arrow go, catching the torn flap of burlap and ripping it from the bag.

For a moment, everything seems frozen in time. Then the apples spill to the ground and Jack's blown backward into the air.

**:::::**

The impact with the hard-packed earth of the plain knocks the wind out of Jack. His backpack does little to soften the blow. Unfortunately, with his pack is secured around his waist, sparing itself but not his hip. Jack's spear is locked in his grasp, the sling still hanging off the crook. The ground still shakes with explosions. The apples sets off enough mines, causing debris to activate the others. Jack manages to shield his face with his arms as shattered bits of matter, some of it burning, rain down around him. An acrid smoke fills the air, which is not the best remedy for someone trying to regain the ability to breathe.

After about a minute, the ground stops vibrating. Jack rolls on his side and allowed himself a moment of satisfaction the sight of the smoldering wreckage that was recently the pyramid. The Highs aren't likely to salvage anything out of that.

_I'd better get out of here,_ he thinks. The Highs will be making a beeline for the place. But once he's on his feet, Jack realizes escape may not be so simple. He's dizzy. Not the slightly wobbly, tracker-jacker kind, but the kind that sends the trees swooping around and causes the earth to move in waves under your feet.

Jack takes a few steps and somehow winds up on his hands and knees. He waited a few minutes to let it pass, but it doesn't. Panic begins to set in. He can't stay here. Flight is essential. But he can neither walk nor hear. Yet he can't let his fear show. Absolutely, positively, He is live on every screen in Burgess. Jack can't walk, but can he crawl? He moves forward tentatively. Yes, if he goes very slowly, he can crawl. Most of the woods will offer insufficient cover. Jack's only hope is to make it back to Vanellope's vantage point and conceal himself in greenery. He can't get caught out here on his hands and knees in the open. Not only will he face death, it's sure to be a long and painful one at Daggur's hand. Not to mention Azula's, remembering her interview. Hiccup had been right to have a freaked out expression then. The thought of Emma having to watch that keeps him doggedly inching his way toward the hideout.

Another blast knocks Jack flat on his face. A stray mine, set off by some collapsing crate. This happens twice more. He's reminded of those last few kernels that burst when Emma and he pop corn over the fire at home. To say he made it in the nick of time is an understatement. Jack have literally just dragged himself into the tangle of bushes at the base of the trees when there's Daggur, barreling onto the plain, soon followed by his companions. His rage is so extreme it might be comical.

_So people really do tear out their hair and beat the ground with their fists_

It might be funny if Jack didn't know that it was aimed at him, at what he had done to him. Add to that his proximity, his inability to run or defend himself, and in fact, the whole thing has him terrified. Jack's glad his hiding place makes it impossible for the cameras to get a close shot of him because he's biting his nails like there's no tomorrow, trying to keep his teeth from chattering.

The boy from District 3 throws stones into the ruins and must have declared all the mines activated because the Highs are approaching the wreckage. Daggur has finished the first phase of his tantrum and takes out his anger on the smoking remains by kicking open various containers. The other Lights are poking around in the mess, looking for anything to salvage, but there's nothing. The boy from District 3 has done his job too well. This idea must occur to Daggur, too, because he turns on the boy and appears to be shouting at him. The boy from District 3 only has time to turn and run before Daggur catches him in a headlock from behind. He can see the muscles ripple in Daggur's arms as he sharply jerks the boys head to the side.

It's that quick. The death of the boy from District 3.

The other two Highs seem to be trying to calm Daggur down. Jack can tell he wants to return to the woods, but they keep pointing at the sky, which puzzles the abino teen until he realizes, Of course. They think whoever set off the explosions is dead.

They don't know about the spearhead ammos and the apples. They assume the booby trap was faulty, but that the Light who blew up the supplies was killed doing it. If there was a cannon shot, it could have been easily lost in the subsequent explosions. The shattered remains of the thief removed by hovercraft. They retire to the far side of the lake to allow the Gamemakers to retrieve the body of the boy from District 3. And they wait.

A cannon does go off. A hovercraft appears and takes the dead boy. The sun dips below the horizon. Night falls. Up in the sky, Jack sees the seal and know the anthem must have begun. A moment of darkness. They show the boy from District 3. They show the boy from District 10, who must have died this morning. Then the seal reappears. So, now they know. The bomber survived. In the seal's light, Jack can see Cato and Azula put on their night-vision glasses. The boy from District 1 ignites a tree branch for a torch, illuminating the grim determination on all their faces. The Highs stride back into the woods to hunt. Jack's dizziness has subsided. There's no point in leaving his hiding place, though. He's about as safe as he can be, here at the crime scene. They probably think the bomber has a two-or three-hour lead on them. Still it's a long time before Jack risks moving.

The first thing he does is dig out his own glasses and put them on, which relaxes him a little, to have his hunter's senses working. Jack drinks some water and makes a good meal out of the greens and roots and berries Vanellope and he gathered today.

Where was his little ally? Did she make it back to the rendezvous point? Is she worried about him? At least, the sky has shown they were both alive.

Jack runs through the surviving Lights on his fingers. The boy from 1, Daggur and Azula from 2, Tigerface, both from 11 and, not to mention himself and Hiccup, from 12. Just eight of them. The betting must be getting really hot in Berk. They'll be doing special features on each of them now. Probably interviewing the friends and families. It's been a long time since a Light from District 12 made it into the top eight. And now there are two of them. He can bet Daggur's not happy about that.

_Let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin, Daggur,_ Jack thinks._ Let them begin for real. _

**:::::**

A cold breeze has sprung up. Jack reaches for his sleeping bag before he remembers he left it with Vanellope. Jack was supposed to pick up another one, but what with the mines and all, he forgot. He made do with his jacket, like he said, he was used to the cold. Since roosting overnight in a tree isn't sensible anyway, Jack scoops out a hollow under the bushes and cover himself with leaves and pine needles. It helps somewhat to keep warm. The boy lays his sheet of plastic over his upper body and position his backpack to block the wind. It's a little better. Jack begins to have more sympathy for the girl from District 8 that lit the fire that first night. But now it's him who needs to grit his teeth and tough it out until morning. More leaves, more pine needles. He pulls his arms inside his jacket and tuck his knees up to his chest. Somehow, he drifted off to sleep.

When Jack opens his eyes, the world looks slightly fractured, and it takes a minute to realize that the sun must be well up and the glasses is fragmenting his vision. As he sits up and remove them, Jack hears a laugh somewhere near the lake and freeze. The laughs distorted, and he peers through the bushes, afraid the Highs have returned, trapping him there for an indefinite time.

No, it's Tigerface, standing in the rubble of the pyramid and laughing. She's smarter than the Highs, actually finding a few useful items in the ashes. A metal pot. A knife blade. Jack's perplexed by her amusement until he realizes that with the Highs stores eliminated, she might actually stand a chance. Just like the rest of them. It crosses Jack's mind to reveal himself and enlist her as a second ally against that pack. But he ruled it out. There's something about that sly grin that makes him sure that befriending Tigerface would ultimately get him a knife in the back. _Stabbed in the back, _Literally and figuratively take. With that in mind, this might be an excellent time to shoot her. But she's heard something, not Jack, because her head turns away, toward the drop-off, and she sprints for the woods. Jack waited. No one, nothing shows up. Still, if Tigerface thought it was dangerous, maybe its time for him to get out of here, too. Besides, he's eager to tell Vanellope about the pyramid.

Since he had no idea where the Highs are, the route back by the stream seems as good as any. Jack hurries, spear in one hand. The trip to the stream is uneventful. Once there, he refills his water and wash, then Jack travels uphill using the stream as a guide. At one point, he finds boot prints in the mud along the bank. The Highs have been here, but not for a while. The prints are deep because they were made in soft mud, but now they're nearly dry in the hot sun. Jack haven't been careful enough about his own tracks, but he really didn't need to. He was barefooted, since he did leave his boots and never picked them up back at the tree with the Tracker Jackers. It didn't bother him, he preferred being barefooted. It made him quick and the weight didn't leave much marks unless it was a muddy area. So he just covered those up.

The cool water has an invigorating effect on his body, his spirits. Jack maims two fish, easy pickings in this slow-moving stream, and go ahead and eat one raw. The second he'll save for Vanellope.

When Jack reaches the site of their first meeting, he feels certain its been undisturbed. Theres no sign of Vanellope, not on the ground or in the trees. This is odd. By now she should have returned, as its midday. Undoubtedly, she spent the night in a tree somewhere. What else could she do with no light and the Highs with their night-vision glasses tramping around the woods. And the third fire she was supposed to set although Jack did forgot to check for it last night was the farthest from their site of all. She's probably just being cautious about making her way back. Jack wish she'd hurry, because he doesn't want to hang around here too long. He wanted to spend the afternoon traveling to higher ground, hunting as they went. But there's nothing really for him to do but wait.

Jack washes the blood out of his jacket and hair and clean his ever-growing list of wounds. The burns are much better but he uses a bit of medicine on them anyway. The main thing to worry about now is keeping out infection. He goes ahead and eat the second fish. It isn't going to last long in this hot sun, but it should be easy enough to spear a few more for Vanellope. If she would just show up.

Feeling too vulnerable on the ground, he scale a tree, scrapping his barefoot in the process but Jack toughens it out and wait. If the Highs show up, this will be a fine place to shoot them from. The sun moves slowly. Jack does things to pass the time. Chew leaves and apply them to his stings that are deflated but still tender. Comb through his damp hair with his fingers. Check over his spear, pack and remaining nine ammos. Despite two fish, his stomach's growling, and Jack knows he's going to have what they call a hollow day back in District 12. That's a day where no matter what you put in your belly, it's never enough. Having nothing to do but sit in a tree makes it worse, so Jack decides to give into it. After all, he lost a lot of weight in the arena, he needed some extra calories. And having the spear makes him far more confident about future prospects.

Preferrably one with Hiccup in it, while it lasts.

It bothered Jack that there were only few of them left, their numbers downing to single digits. Eight. He doesn't have much time left, so he and Vanellope better find the brunette as soon as they meet up. Jack slowly peels and eat a handful of nuts. His last cracker. But it's a hollow day, and even with all that he started daydreaming about food. Particularly the decadent dishes served in Berk. The chicken in creamy orange sauce. The cakes and pudding. Bread with butter. Noodles in green sauce. The lamb and dried plum stew. Toothess's new favorite, Icelandic cod. Jack sucks on a few mint leaves and tells himself to get over it. Mint is good because they drink mint tea after supper often, so it tricks Jack's stomach into thinking eating time is over. Sort of.

Dangling up in the tree, with the sun warming him, a mouthful of mint, his spear and ammos at hand... this is the most relaxed he's been since he's entered the arena. If only Vanellope would show up, and they could clear out and find Hiccup. As the shadows grow, so does his restlessness. By late afternoon, Jack's resolved to go looking for her. He can at least visit the spot where she set the third fire and see if there are any clues to her whereabouts.

Before he goes, Jack scatters a few mint leaves around their old campfire. Since we gathered these some distance away, Vanellope will understand he's been here, while they'll mean nothing to the Highs.

In less than an hour, he's at the place where they agreed to have the third fire and he knows something has gone amiss. The wood has been neatly arranged, expertly interspersed with tinder, but it has never been lit. Vanellope had set up the fire but never made it back here. Somewhere between the second column of smoke Jack spied before he blew up the supplies and this point, she ran into trouble. And she never did let out the three or four smoke puffs.

Jack has to remind himself she's still alive. Or is she? Could the cannon shot announcing her death have come in the wee hours of the morning when Jack was out cold? Will she appear in the sky tonight? No, Jack refuses to believe it. There could be a hundred other explanations. She could have lost her way. Run into a pack of predators or another Light, like Ralph, and had to hide. Whatever happened, he's almost certain she's stuck out there, somewhere between the second fire and the unlit one at Jack's feet. Something is keeping her up a tree.

Jack considers going to hunt it down.

It's a relief to be doing something after sitting around all afternoon. He creeps silently through the shadows, being barefoot helps, letting them conceal him. But nothing seems suspicious. There's no sign of any kind of struggle, no disruption of the needles on the ground. Jack stopped for just a moment when he sees it. He has to cock his head around to the side to be sure, but there it is again. The four smoke puffs, which means she's okay but she's running late.

Jack grinned and moves in the direction of the puffs. Another just a short distance ahead, his eyes lift up into the trees, searching for a sign of her. Jack swallows and kneels down to start on his own little fire to create smoke puffs. He was just about to put his jacket over the flames to collect the smoke that should create the first puff when he hears the scream.

**:::::**

It's a child's scream, a young girl's scream, there's no one in the arena capable of making that sound except Vanellope. And now Jack's running, knowing this may be a trap, knowing the three Highs may be poised to attack him, but he can't help hiself. There's another high-pitched cry, this time his name. "Jack! Jack!"

"Vanellope!" Jack shouts back, so she knows he's near. So, they know he's near, and hopefully the boy who has attacked them with tracker jackers and gotten an eight will be enough to pull their attention away from her. "Vanellope! I'm coming!"

When he breaks into the clearing, she's on the ground, hopelessly entangled in a net. She just has time to reach her hand through the mesh and say his name before a long blade slices through.

The boy from District 1 dies before he can pull out the blade. Jack's spear drives deeply into the center of his chest. He falls to his knees and halves the brief remainder of his life by yanking out the spear and drowning in his own blood. Jack retrieves shifting his stance from side to side, while he shouts at Vanellope,

""Are there more? Are there more?"

She has to say no several times before he hears it. Vanellope has rolled to her side, her body curved in, clutching her stomach, as if that could stop the bleeding. Jack shoves the boy away from her and takes his spear's edge, freeing her from the net. One look at the wound and he knows it's far beyond his capacity to heal, beyond anyone's probably. The blade cut in deep up through her stomach. Jack crouches before her, staring helplessly at the embedded weapon. There's no point in comforting words, in telling her she'll be all right. She's no fool. Her hand reaches out and Jack clutches it like a lifeline. As if it's him who's dying instead of Vanellope.

"You blew up the food?" she whispers.

Jack chokes out. "Every last bit,"

"It's okay then, Jack," she says. "You did it, now go. Go without me,"

Jack hears a cannon and look up. It must be for the boy from District 1. Jack shook his head. "Later," Despite her words, Vanellope tightens her grip on Jack's hand. Jack tucks his legs beneathe him, pulling her head onto his lap. He gently brushes the dark, thick hair back behind her ear. For a moment, Jack stays there, watching her tears drip down on her face.

"Maybe... It isn't dangerous..."

Jack has to lean closer to hear. "What isn't?"

"The Nightfury... wanting freedom," she rasped out. "not living in fear... hostility, districts knowing each other... helping each other... caring for each other," she closes her eyes then, final tears barely escaping. "like we... had,"

Jack didn't know what to at first, but he just nodded. "If only it were possible,"

"Maybe it can... But... it's up to... us..."

"What can we do?" Somehow as he ask that, those two kids from before, Baby T. and Phil comes up in his mind eye, and he thought maybe Hiccup was on to something back then.

"Don't ask me, genius," Vanellope laughs hoarsely, then coughing out blood. "Clearly, there's... nothing one can do... Unless alive... Hope is with those who lives... not just... survive... so live..."

Vanellope's cannon fires. And that was it. Jack leans forward and press his lips against her temple. Slowly, as if not to wake her, he laid her head back on the ground and release her hand.

They'll want him to clear out now. So they can collect the bodies. And there's nothing to stay for. Jack rolls the boy from District 1 onto his face and take his pack. He cuts Vanellope's pack from her back as well, knowing she'd want him to have it. Jack can't stop looking at Vanellope, smaller than ever, a baby animal curled up in a nest of netting. He can't bring himself to leave her like this. Past harm, but seeming utterly defenseless. To hate the boy from District 1, who also appears so vulnerable in death, seems inadequate. It's Berk he hates, for doing this to all of them.

Hiccup's voice is his head. His ravings against Berk no longer pointless, no longer to be ignored. Vanellope's death has forced Jack to confront his own fury against the Berk, the injustice they inflict upon them. But here, even more strongly than at home, Jack feels his impotence. There's no way to take revenge on Berk. Is there?

Then Jack remembers Hiccup's words on the roof mashing up with Vanellope's finals ones.

_Only, I keep wishing I could think of a way to . . . to show Berk they don't own me. Any of us. That we're more than just a piece in their Games._

And that was when Jack understood what he means. With Vanellope's words.

_...Hope is with those who lives... not just... survive... so live..._

Realization came down on the albino. When it came to being chosen as Light, the Nightmare Games, Jack just wants to protect his sister. While in the brunette's case, being himself and a little less than a hunter, let alone a killer, Hiccup had no idea how to deal with this. But neither of them have a say in this matter. It had seemed that they were powerless to do anything, to refuse to have anything to do with the games. That they couldn't do anything. Because there's nothing to be done, is there? Nothing made sense anymore, nothing seemed to have rhyme or reason. Nothing had seemed more important than surviving and seeing the next dawn. Nothing made sense until now. There was no rhyme or reason to life anymore... Except things lie in a scale of love. It was no longer about survival, at least, not at this point. Not after everything Jack worked through to get this far. It was about living for something. That starts now, here on out.

Jack wanted to do something, right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show Berk that whatever they do or force the rest of them to do, there is a part of every Light they can't own. That Vanellope was more than a piece in their Games. And so am Jack.

A few steps into the woods grows a bank of wildflowers. Perhaps they are really weeds of some sort, but they have blossoms in beautiful shades of violet and yellow and white. Jack gathered up an armful and come back to Vanellope's side. Slowly, one stem at a time, he decorates her body in the flowers. Covering the ugly wound. Wreathing her face. Weaving her hair with bright colors complimenting the beads.

They'll have to show it. Or, even if they choose to turn the cameras elsewhere at this moment, they'll have to bring them back when they collect the bodies and everyone will see her then and know Jack did it. He steps back and take a last look at Vanellope, wishing Hiccup was here because he was the better decorator.

"Bye, kid," Jack whispers. He presses the three middle fingers of his left hand against his lips and hold them out in her direction. Then he walks away without looking back. Somewhere, a bird gives the warning whistle that precedes the hovercraft. Jack pauses, his eyes focused on what's ahead, not what's happening behind him. It doesn't take long, then the general birdsong begins again and he knows she's gone.

**:::::**

Jack had no idea where to go, where would he go to search for Hiccup? The brief sense of home he had that one night with Vanellope has vanished and he was already longing for a new companion. That particular companion. His feet wander this way and that until sunset. He's not afraid, not even watchful. Which makes him an easy target. Except he'd kill anyone he met on sight. Without emotion or the slightest tremor in his hands. Jack's hatred of Berk has not lessened his hatred of his competitors in the least. Especially the Highs. They, like Berk, enjoyed the killings. The lost of lives so long as it weren't theirs. They, at least, can be made to pay for Vanellope's death.

No one materializes though. There aren't many left and it's a big arena. Soon they'll be pulling out some other device to force the Lights together. But there's been enough gore today. Perhaps they'll even get to sleep. Jack climbs dangerously high into a tree, not for safety but to get as far away from today as he can. His sleeping bag is rolled neatly in Vanellope's pack. Tomorrow he'll sort through the supplies. Tomorrow he'll make a new plan. Tomorrow, he'll find Hiccup.

Soon the seal's in the sky, the anthem plays. Jack sees the boy from District 1, Vanellope. Not that he heard an extra cannon, but he was relieve still that Hiccup's picture didn't view. Thats all for tonight. Six of them left. Only six. With that thought, Jack falls asleep.

Sometimes when things are particularly bad, Jack's brain will give him a happy dream. A visit with his father in the woods. An hour of sunlight and cake with Emma. A kiss from Hiccup under a tree of fallen autumn leaves. Tonight it sends him Vanellope, still decked in her flowers, perched in a high sea of trees, with no sign of her wounds, no blood, just a bright, laughing girl. He, Vanellope, and Hiccup might have made one heck of a banter tandem. Then she's lost in the leaves. When Jack's fully awaken, he's momentarily comforted. He tried to hold on to the peaceful feeling of the dream, but it quickly slips away, leaving Jack sadder and lonelier than ever.

Heaviness infuses his whole body, as if there's liquid lead in his veins. He had lost the will to do the simplest tasks, to do anything but lie there, staring unblinkingly through the canopy of leaves. For several hours, he remains motionless. As usual, it's the thought of Emma's anxious face as she watches him on the screens back home that breaks him from my lethargy.

Jack gives himself a series of simple commands to follow, like

_Now you have to sit up, Jack._

_Now you have to drink water, Jack._

He acts on the orders with slow, robotic motions.

_Now you have to sort the packs, Jack._

Vanellope's pack holds his sleeping bag, her nearly empty water skin, a handful of nuts and roots, a bit of rabbit, her extra socks, and her slingshot. The boy from District 1 has several knives, two spare spearheads, a flashlight, a small leather pouch, a first-aid kit, a full bottle of water, and a pack of dried fruit. A pack of dried fruit! Out of all he might have chosen from. To Jack, this is a sign of extreme arrogance. Why bother to carry food when you have such a bounty back at camp? When you will kill your enemies so quickly you'll be home before youre hungry? Jack can only hope the other Highs traveled so lightly when it came to food and now find themselves with nothing.

Speaking of which, his own supply is running low. All he has left are Vanellopes roots and nuts, the boys dried fruit, and one strip of beef.

_Now you have to hunt, Jack,_ He tells himself.

Jack obediently consolidates the supplies he wanted into his pack. After he climbs down the tree, he tries to decide a path to take. He lost his bearings what with all the wandering around he did yesterday evening, but he tries and head back in the general direction of the stream. Jack knows he' on course when he comes across Vanellope's third, unlit fire. Shortly thereafter, he discovers a flock of grooslings perched in the trees and take out three before they know what hit them. Jack returns to Vanellope's signal fire and start it up, not caring about the excessive smoke._ Where are you, Daggur? _Jack thinks as he roasts the birds and Vanellope's roots. _I'm waiting right here. _

Who knows where the Highs are now? Either too far to reach him or too sure this is a trick or ... is it possible? Too scared of Jack? They know he has the spears, of course, Daggur saw them take the weapons when he and Hiccup had been fleeing, but have they put two and two together yet? Figured out he blew up the supplies and killed their fellow High? Possibly they think Ralph did this. Wouldn't he be more likely to revenge Vanellope's death than Jack would? Being from the same district? Not that he ever took any interest in her.

And what about Tigerface? Did she hang around to watch Jack blow up the supplies? No. When he caught her laughing in the ashes the next morning, it was as if someone had given her a lovely surprise.

He wished he could tell Hiccup about the flowers her put on Vanellope, and that he now understands what he was trying to say on the roof. Perhaps if he wins the Games, he'll see Jack on victors night, when they replay the highlights of the Games on a screen over the stage where they did the interviews. The winner sits in a place of honor on the platform, surrounded by their support crew.

Somehow, Hiccup living through this seemed priority. That the promise he made to Snoutlout seemed priority. It was another way of showing Berk they didn't control them, another Light preferring someone else winning instead of himself.

Something happened when Jack was holding Vanellope's hand, watching the life drain out of her. The Nightmare Games caused her death, and many others. It wasn't fair. It was something that needed to be change. To be changed to a dream of Selflessness and Peace.

Jack overcooks the birds hoping someone will show up to shoot, but no one does. Maybe the other Lights are out there beating one another senseless. Which would be fine, Ever since the bloodbath, Jack have been featured on screens most than he cared.

Still no sign of Hiccup. Eventually, Jack wraps up his food and go back to the stream to replenish his water and gather some. But the heaviness from the morning drapes back over him and even though it's only early evening, Jack climbs a tree and settle in for the night. His brain begins to replay the events from yesterday. Jack keeps seeing Vanellope's death, his spear piercing the boy's chest. He doesn't know why he should even care about the boy.

Then he realizes . . ._ he was my first kill._

Along with other statistics they report to help people place their bets, every Light has a list of kills. Technically Jack could get credited for Taffyta and the girl from District 4, too, for dumping that nest on them. But the boy from District 1 was the first person he knew would die because of his actions. Numerous animals have lost their lives at his hands, but only one human. Jack hears Jamie saying, _How different can it be, really?_

Amazingly similar in the execution. A spear thrown, or an ammo shot. Entirely different in the aftermath. Jack killed a boy whose name he doesn't even know. Somewhere his family is weeping for him. His friends call for his blood. Maybe he had a girlfriend, perhaps a boyfriend even since Jack thought he can't be the only gay around, who really believed he would come back.

But then Jack thinks of Vanellope's still body and he's able to banish the boy from his mind. At least, for now. Its been an uneventful day according to the sky. No deaths. Meaning Hiccup is still out there, alive, and Jack had to hurry up and get to him. Jack wondered how long they'll get until the next catastrophe drives then back together. If it's going to be tonight, Jack wanted to get some sleep first. Jack settles in for the night. He was half way there when he heard the trumpets and sit straight up in anticipation.

For the most part, the only communication the Lights get from outside the arena is the nightly death toll. But occasionally, there will be trumpets followed by an announcement. Usually, this will be a call to a feast. When food is scarce, the Gamemakers will invite the players to a banquet, somewhere known to all like the Cornucopia, as an inducement to gather and fight. Sometimes there is a feast and sometimes there's nothing but a loaf of stale bread for the Lights to compete for. Jack wouldn't go in for the food, but this could be an ideal time to take out a few competitors.

Turbo K.C. Time's cheery and perky voice voice booms down from overhead, congratulating the six of them who remain. But he is not inviting the Lights to a feast. He's saying something very confusing.

"There's been a rule change in the Games."

_A rule change!?_ That in itself is mind bending since there wasn't really any rules to speak of except don't step off your circle for sixty seconds and the unspoken rule about not eating one another.

"Under the new rule, both Lights from the same district will be declared winners if they are the last two alive." Turbo pauses, as if he knows were not getting it, and repeats the change again.

The news sinks in. Two Lights can win this year. If they're from the same district. Both can live. _Both of us can live... We can go home together... We can BE together..._

Jack heard Hiccup's voice in his mind for a moment:

_...They took any future we might have..._

But now, they might be giving it back. Before he can stop myself, Jack calls out Hiccup's name.

**:::::**

Jack claps his hands over his mouth, but the sound has already escaped. The sky goes black and Jack hears a chorus of frogs begin to sing._ Stupid!_ He tells himself. _What a stupid thing to do! _He waited, frozen, for the woods to come alive with assailants. Then he remembers there's almost no one left.

Hiccup, who's still missing, is now officially his ally. Being one of the star-crossed lovers from District 12, this must have been what Aster have been betting on, aiming on this angle from the moment he partnered them up. He did have feelings! He just didn't say it incase it wouldn't work that way and just leave Jack disappointed and desperate as he waited for it to happen. But it made sense. Why else would the Gamemakers have made this unprecedented change in the rules? For two Lights to have a shot at winning, the romance must be so popular with the audience that condemning it would jeopardize the success of the Games. _No thanks to me. All Ive done is hope Hiccup doesn't get killed off._

Who is there left to be afraid of? Tigerface? The boy tribute from her district is dead. She's operating alone, at night. And her strategy has been to evade, not attack. Jack doesn't really think that, even if she heard his voice, she'd do anything but hope someone else would kill him.

Then there's Ralph. All right, he's a distinct threat. But Jack havent seen him, not once, since the Games began. He thinks about how Tigerface grew alarmed when she heard a sound at the site of the explosion. But she didn't turn to the Woods, she turned to whatever lies across from it. To that area of the arena that drops off into Jack didn't know what. He feels almost certain that the person she ran from was Ralph and that is his domain. He'd never have heard Jack from there and, even if he did, he's up too high for someone Ralph's size to reach.

So that leaves Daggur and Azula, who are now surely celebrating the new rule. Theyre the only ones left who benefit from it besides Jack and Hiccup. He sorts of hope they develop romance on their own so Daggur could stop fawning over Hiccup. He consdiers a thought. Does he run from them now, on the chance they heard him call Hiccup'sname?

_No,_ Jack thinks. _Let them come._ Let them come with their night-vision glasses and their heavy, branch-breaking bodies. Right into the range of his spearheads. But Jack knows they won't. If they didnt come in daylight to his fire, they won't risk what could be another trap at night. When they come, it will be on their own terms, not because Jack have let them know his whereabouts.

_Stay put and get some sleep, Jack,_ he instructs himself, although he wished he could start tracking Hiccup now. _Tomorrow, you'll find him._

Besides, wherever he was, Hiccup must be hiding. And Jack had a feeling he was good with that if he held out on his own this long.

**:::::**

Jack does sleep, but in the morning he's extra-cautious, thinking that while the Highs might hesitate to attack him in a tree, they're completely capable of setting an ambush for him. Jack makes sure to fully prepare myself for the day, eating a big breakfast, securing his pack, readying his weapons, before he descends. He wasn't about to die after realizing he can live after all along with Hiccup. Berk gave back a future he could have with the brunette, and the last thing he wanted was wasting the chance. All seems peaceful and undisturbed on the ground.

Today Jack will have to be scrupulously careful. The Highs will know he's trying to locate Hiccup. They may well want to wait until he does before they move in.

_But how on earth will I find him? _

Easy answer though, Jack loves him. And the love and desire for them to return together is greater than any other Light's desire to kill just to be the Victors. Jack tries to think of anything hint that might give him an indication as to where he's hiding out, but nothing rings a bell. Then he remember Vanellope's words, about the water. She's right. Even if the boy couldn't hunt, he knew the brunette had a knack for fishing because of his cat. And it was a plus to water for drinking. He had a pack with him, so Jack assumed that he probably had a flask of iodine as well to purify it. Although if so, it's a bit obvious, that the part that no one can detect him was a mystery. Still, it was a better lead as any.

Theres the lake, but Jack ruled it out. Finding that an unlikely option since its so close to the Highs base camp. A few spring-fed pools. But you'd really be a sitting duck at one of those. No place to hide. And the stream and river. The one that leads from the camp Vanellope and Jack made all the way down near the lake and beyond. If he stuck to the river after their separation, he could change his location and always be near water. He could walk in the current and erase any tracks.

_Well, its a place to start, anyway. _

To confuse his enemies' minds, Jack starts a fire with plenty of green wood. Even if they think it's a ruse, Jack hopes they'll decide he's hidden somewhere near it. While in reality, he'll be tracking Hiccup.

The sun burns off the morning haze almost immediately and JackI can tell the day will be hotter than usual. The waters cool and pleasant on his bare feet as he heads downstream. It stings a little from that climb, though. Jack's tempted to call out Hiccup's name as he went but decides against it. He will have to find the brunette with his eyes and one good ear or the brunette will have to find him. But he'll know Jack will be looking, right? Hiccup should have heard the rule.

It doesn't take long to reach the spot where Jack peeled off to go the Highs camp. There's been no sign of Hiccup, but this doesn't surprise Jack. He's been up and down this stretch three times since the tracker jacker incident. If Hiccup were nearby, surely Jack would have had some suspicion of it. The stream begins to curve to the left into a part of the woods that's new to him. Muddy banks covered in tangled water plants lead to large rocks that increase in size until he begins to feel somewhat trapped. It would be no small matter to escape the stream now. Fighting off Daggur or Ralph as Jack climbed over this rocky terrain. In fact, the albino have just about decided he's on the wrong track entirely, that a limp boy would be unable to navigate getting to and from this water source, when he sees the bloody streak going down the curve of a boulder. It's long dried now, but the smeary lines running side to side suggest someone who perhaps was not fully in control of his mental faculties tried to wipe it away.

Hugging the rocks, Jack moved slowly in the direction of the blood, searching for Hiccup. He finds a few more bloodstains, one with a few threads of fabric glued to it, but no sign of life. The albino breaks down and says his name in a hushed voice.

"Hiccup! Hiccup!"

He kept calling out. When there was no response whatsoever, Jack gives up and climb back down to the stream thinking Hiccup must have moved on. Somewhere farther down, he sees something, a black thing of a sort and widened his eyes.

"TOOTHLESS!" Jack screamed, completely forgetting the similar blunder earlier and the black raises his head to whatever it was sniffing on the ground. It bounded over to Jack quickly, and Jack towards it meeting the feline halfway. When the reached the centerpoint distance, Jack dropped to his knees with open arms as he lets the cat dive into it. "You're aive, that's great," he muttered before setting it back down. "Now all we have to do is find Hiccup, and we'd be a real team."

The cat took a moment to nuzzle Jack's nose before jumping off his arms. He went behind Jack's leg and headbutt it, telling him to move. Jack eyes him confusely. After realizing the boy wasn't moving, he bit down on Jack's pants and pulled him along to where he was before Jack called his name. At least seeing what Toothless wanted him to do, he made it easier on the cat and let himself be lead to the spot.

Toothless stopped and hissed, gesturing to the dried blood on a grass patch not too far off from them.

"I know, I know. We'll find him," Jack said lowly enough. "But we need to look carefully, or we might just miss him when he's right under our noses." Jack's foot has just broken the surface of the water when he heard a voice.

Muffled, it said. "More like right under your boot, frostbite."

Jack whips around, wide-eyed. It came from the left, so he can't pick it up very well. And the voice was hoarse and weak. Still, it must have been Hiccup. Who else in the arena would call him Frostbite? Daggur called him Frostbutt, so that didn't count.

Jack's eyes peruse the bank beside where Toothless stood, but there's nothing. Just mud, the plants, the base of the rocks.

"Hiccup?" He whispers. "Where are you?" There's no answer. _Could I just have imagined it? No, I'm certain it was real and very close at hand, too. "_Hiccup?" He creeps along the bank.

"Well, don't step on me."

Jack jumps back. His voice was right under his feet. Still there's nothing. Then his eyes open, unmistakably green in the brown mud and green leaves, a head lifting up. Jack gasped and is finally rewarded with a hint of crooked teeth as he laughs.

It's the final word in camouflage. Forget about computers, knives or cleverness. Hiccup should have gone into his private session with the Gamemakers and painted himself into a tree. Or a boulder. Or a muddy bank full of weeds. Or even a patch of autumn leaves.

Trying to tone down his excitement, till he can ascertain it was really Hiccup with the camouflage off, although there was really no doubt in his mind, he spoke. "Close your eyes again," Jack orders. Hiccup does, and his mouth, too, and completely disappears. Most of what he judges to be his body is actually under a layer of mud and plants. His face and arms are so artfully disguised as to be invisible. Jack kneels beside him.

"I guess all those hours decorating cakes paid off."

Hiccup smiles. "Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying."

"You're not going to die," Jack told him firmly, and after days of holding himself back, he picked the boy up and gathered him into his arms. "You're not going to die while there's now a future we could have,"

Hiccup managed to chuckle, grasping the boy's back the same. "Sounds about right," He settled his head at the crook of Jack's neck. Sighing in content. "I missed you, Jack..."

**A/N: FINALLY HICCUP'S BACK! HIJACK FEELS NOW! WOO! Okay. I didn't do the lullabye thing because it would became overrated as I already did it twice. Besides, the only reason it was written and shown in the book and movie was because in the book Rue's favorite thing is music and she asked Katniss to sing because she was good at it. Here, it's neither. And in reviewing, why do guys still keep calling them Highs and Tributes? I've been using the replacement Lights and Highs for a while, I'd have thought it would be obvious what they are. Just puzzled and curious as to why that is. Just so you folks know. **


	13. Together Alone

**A/N: CAVE! CAVE! CAVE! AT LONG LAST!**

**Okay guys, I have a feeling Eugene and Rapunzel will win out. And referring to my little errors through the whole ficc, typos and whatnot, I'll go through them and fix it before I start CATCHING FROSTBITE. Yes, anony, guest reader reviewer, I will continue the Trilogy. One of my goal in writing this also is to maybe motivate readers to read the Hunger Games Trilogy because it's awesome except for some wasted deaths. So good news, I won't follow through some deaths.**

**Together Alone**

_**"I guess all those hours decorating cakes paid off."**_

_**Hiccup smiles. "Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying."**_

_**"You're not going to die," Jack told him firmly, and after days of holding himself back, he picked the boy up and gathered him into his arms. "You're not going to die while there's now a future we could have, we're going home Hiccup... Together,"**_

_**Hiccup managed to chuckle, grasping the boy's back the same. "Sounds about right," He settled his head at the crook of Jack's neck. Sighing in content. "I missed you, Jack..."**_

**:::::**

The two boys stayed like pretty much the whole time, not saying a word and just taking in the fact that they actually stood a chance, they could go home together. They can protect each other till the very end of these Games without having to worry which one would live and be crowned the victor. For Hiccup, he wanted to go home, sure who wouldn't? But he didn't want to be some sort of trophy or have Berk praising him. And for what? For killing in order to survive? It sounded dirty. Of course, Jack wanted to come home like he promised Emma and Jamie, but he didn't think he could live comfortably, or like before because he was never exactly comfortable to begin with, if Hiccup had to die in his stead. Now both didn't have to worry about that. Sure, Hiccup had to face Berk's praises after all, but at least Jack was with him to deal with it.

And since they could go home together, the brunette now had to think about giving Jack a proper response to his confession. Too bad he was too busy thinking he would die anytime to even consider giving a response, considering he initially thought it wouldn't matter eitherway...

_Gods, I'm screwed..._

Hiccup was about to continue stressing over his predicament when he felt something clawing his leg. He looked to his front and gasped. "TOOTHLESS!" The feline climbed over Hiccup's chest and Hiccup gathered the feline into his arms, ignoring and biting back the wince trying to form to remind him of his bad leg. "Bud, you gotta stop getting separated from me,"

Jack smiled at the scene, sheathing his spear. "Yeah, well, this time, he found me." He chuckled. The albino crouched next to the lying down brunette, pulled out his water bottle and give Hiccup a drink. He gave the boy a once over, his gaze staying on the younger male's left leg. He frowned. "What cut you?" He asked. As it wasn't bad enough that it was horribly twisted...

Hiccup looked over the leg, scrunching up his noseHe winces, pulling his pants partially up to reveal the wounded flesh. "River ridges. Sharp rocks. I was lucky enough to get out, though. Been buying my time here for the past days since."

"Been buying your time for what exactly?"

Hiccup thought about that, "Never really thought of that," He admitted. "maybe for my leg to magically heal on its own." He jokes.

Jack slumped his shoulders. "That was completely my fault," He said dejectedly. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be," Hiccup shrugged. "It's nice not to be the klutz for once."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Was that supposed to make me feel better?"

"I don't know, do you feel better?"

"Not really, no."

"Then no."

Jack pouted before he decided to let it drop with a sigh. He bent down, and took Hiccup's arm. The boy gave him a questioning look. "Let's get you in the stream, wash you off so I can see what kind of other wounds you've got," He says. Hiccup nodded, wincing as they started getting up from their crouched position. They beckoned to Toothless and made sure he followed.

When Jack starts to help Hiccup to the stream, all the levity disappears. It's only two feet away, how hard can it be? Very hard when the albino realizes the brunette's unable to move an inch on his own. He's so weak that the best he can do is not to resist. Jack chalked up his initial strength upon their reunion... again... to be adrenaline rush. It's gone now. Jack tries to drag him, but despite the fact that he knew Hiccup's doing all he can to keep quiet, sharp cries of pain escape him. The mud and plants seem to have imprisoned him and Jack finally has to give a gigantic tug to break him from their clutches. The brunette's still two feet from the water, lying there, teeth gritted, tears cutting trails in the dirt on his face.

"Look, Hiccup, I'm going to roll you into the stream. It's very shallow here, okay?" Jack told him. "I'm not sure entirely, but it might hurt."

"Great, pain." Hiccup eye-rolled. "Love it."

Jack crouches down beside him. _No matter what happens,_ he tells himself, _don't stop until he's in the water._

_"_On three," The older boy says. "One, two, three!" He can only manage one full roll before He had to stop because of the horrible sound Hiccup was making. Now the injured male was on the edge of the stream. _Maybe this is better anyway. "_Okay, change of plans. I'm not going to put you all the way in," Besides, if Jack gets him in, who knows if he'd ever be able to get him out?

"No more rolling?" Hiccup asked hopefully.

"That's all done." Jack throws off his Jacket down with the pack. Apparently though, Hiccup lost his. But managed to belt the knife. "Let's get you cleaned up. Keep an eye on the woods for me, Toothless, okay?" He gave the cat a quick look, who stayed right beside the supplies. It's hard to know where to start. Hiccup's so caked with mud and matted leaves, he can't even see his clothes. If he's wearing clothes. The thought makes Jack hesitate a moment, but then he plunges in. Naked bodies are no big deal in the arena, right? Although the idea of Hiccup bare was giving Jack a funny feeling in his gut. Jack winces himself as he stepped into the water a bit, crouching down to the brunette. He scrapes his feet.

said brunette gives him a look. "Did you intentionally leave your boots back there at the tree with the tracker jacker nest? I mean, I know you prefer going barefoot..."

"I _intentionally _left them down the tree because it helped me climb better," Jack responeded. "I was too busy dealing with hallucinations and all things considered to remember them, not that it matters now."

Jack got two water bottles and Vanellope's water skin. He props them against rocks in the stream so that two are always filling while Jack pours the third over Hiccup's body. Not naked. It takes a while, but Jack finally gets rid of enough mud to find his clothes. The albino gently unzips the brunette's jacket, unbutton his shirt and ease them off him. His undershirt is so plastered into his wounds Jack had to cut it away with the knife he gave Hiccup and drench said boy again to work it loose. He's badly bruised with a long burn across his chest. But Jack feels a bit better. This much he can fix. He decided to take care of his upper body first, to alleviate some pain, before he tackles whatever damage those ridges did to his leg.

Since treating Hiccup's wounds seems pointless when he's lying in what's become a mud puddle, Jack managed to prop him up against a boulder. He sits there, uncomplaining, while Jack washes away all the traces of dirt from his hair and skin. His flesh is very pale in the sunlight and he looks more scrawny and gangly. Jack had to dig splinters out, which causes Hiccup to wince. While the boy dries in the sun, Jack washes the filthy shirt and jacket and spread them over boulders. Then he applies the burn cream to his chest. Both boys were red at that point, but they did what they can to ignore it. Hiccup raised a brow, somehow Jack's hands felt hot. When they were usually cold. Jack was too focused in his work to notice the look being given to him. At one point, he stood up to retrieve the grooslings he caught awhile back to give to Hiccup, having the feeling Hiccup hadn't gotten a proper meal in awhile.

As he walked over to the supplies, his knees buckled suddenly every now and then but he's able to regain his balance easily enough. Hiccup watches when Jack was straying from where the supplies were, and points it out to him. The younger male scutinized the older one as he blinked before changing course and returning to where the supplies really were. He saw Toothless sniff him as Jack crouches down for the birds and the feline had wrinkled his nose at Jack's feet. Now Hiccup was suspicious. Eitherway, the brunette gratefully accepts and devours his share. Jack smirked, and tried eating himself. But after few nibble, for whatever reasons, he didn't have much of an appetite and just gave them all to Hiccup and started to re-dress the brunette.

The scrawny boy raised a speculative brow. "Jack," He spoke as he nibbled on the other grooslings. "how long have you gone barefoot?"

The albino was helping Hiccup put on the sleeve to his Jacket when he answered. "Uh I dunno," Jack shrugged carelessly, his eyes losing focus every now and then. He shook it off to regain his focus, while Hiccup watched him carefully. "since I lost you and the boots?"

"Did you avoid walking over rocks or any marshy places?"

"Can't say I remember, I mostly stuck to the forest paths and climbed trees for shelter," Jack told him. "why the questions?"

Hiccup sighed. "Jack, show me your feet." He instructed. Jack made a look.

"I thought I was the one doing the diagnosis of wounds here,"

"Well, you cleaned me up as much as you can, and my real problem is the leg. Not so much the wounds. Now show me," Hiccup insisted. Jack sat down in front of the boy and let Hiccup examine his feet. The brunette frowned. "Well that's just great,"

Jack cocked his head. "What?"

"You got some punctures, and they have splotches of black spots from somewhere," Hiccup told him. "can you wash them off?"

Jack lifts his leg and puts his foot on running water. The spots didn't disappear, so they weren't just smudges of dirt or something. Jack looked at Hiccup and showed him his feet. Hiccup took one by the ankle, looking thoughtful.

"How do you feel?"

"Fine, just confused with what you're getting on,"

"Then why won't you eat?"

"I had a big breakfast this morning," Jack said outloud, and now that he did, it sounded weird. Big breakfast or no, he was always hungry minutes later. Maybe not starving, but hungry to want to get something to eat. It was always like that for the poor folks of District 12. Besides, stressing on survivable and finding Hiccup can make one hungry easily. Stress does that.

Hiccup knew that too. "It's late afternoon, you should be hungry again," He pointed out.

"It's fine. Anyway, you needed to eat more," he said instead, thinking that was it.

Hiccup shook his head. "It wasn't generosity, or else you would've done that before taking a nibble. But you scrunched up your nose as if in disgust and just handed it over. It tasted well enough for you not to have hated the taste," and Jack at them all the time back home.

Jack smirked. "You've been watching me, huh?"

Hiccup blushed and scolwed. "Don't change the subject," He reprove.

"What are you getting at, anyway?"

"Jack, were you careful in choosing which trees to climb?"

"Not particularly, more careful in the actual climbing than choosing," Jack raised a brow, not seeing how that mattered. "any tree seemed climbable and safe,"

Hiccup frowned. "Safe if you weren't barefoot," he scolded. "Like now, for instance, I'm almost sure you climb a black death tree, judging by these splotches." He trailed off.

"Black death? Never heard of it, it's bad, isn't it?"

"Well, they're Nightmare Games norm and, Yes, actually, if they scrap your skin, the scratches turn to black splotches like these, and they're bad as any infection. So if you climb one... Well, most of the trees here are black death so that should be given. And with the tendency of wood scraping them flesh when climbing," The brunette groaned. "we were given boots and gloves as the general outfit for a reason, Jack."

"I didn't know, it wasn't like it was said in training,"

"That's what the computer is for, putting it there you would've thought that they wanted it used,"

"But I'm fine, so can we drop it?"

Hiccup raised a brow. He looked around, seeing Toothless drinking from the stream about four feet from Jack's camouflaged black pack. "Close your eyes first, count to ten, and walk over to Toothless then," he told him. If Jack confuses the pack for Toothless, then that settled things. Toothless was all black. Jack's pack was black but in daylight you can obviously see traces of blue.

"Easy enough," Jack stood up, feeling disoriented for a moment, chalking it up to bloodrush, and closed his eyes. When he reached ten, he didn't get to do Hiccup's other instructions because he passed out for a full ten minutes. Ten, because Hiccup roused him when the sun started to set.

"You are sick," Hiccup concluded. Jack spoke to protest but Hiccup forstalled. "it's not open for arguement. The effects are slow, especially if your mind is busy. Luckily, you're in the first stages of symptons which is feel distortion. Gives me time to remember how to treat it,"

Jack sighed, lying back to the ground, finding Hiccup must be right. For one thing, he didn't doubt that Hiccup was smart. For another, he was too busy dealing with surviving, Vanellope's death, and finding Hiccup to take notice. Lastly, just lying down made him feel a whole lot better.

Hiccup kicked Jack lightly. "We can't stay here, Frostbite. We need shelter,"

"Suppose the trees are ruled out?"

"No duh, genius." Hiccup called for Toothless, and looked at his surroundings. Having an inkling of what the brunette might want, Jack gives him his spear. Hiccup blinked questioning.

"You can use it for walking,"

"How did you..."

"You said your only problem was the leg," Jack shrugged. "I may have missed using the computer, but I'm not dumb."

Hiccup smirked at that and had to smile. "Aren't you now?" He takes the spear, using the opposite end that didn't have a spearhead as the handle. He got to his feet with the support of the boulder tested if he can walk well. He can and he went towards the pack. He picked it up awkwardly, and Jack was about to get up to help when he stopped him. "I got it, just need balance." He was shrugging the pack on his shoulders when he felt himself fall back.

Jack was there to catch him, but felt like falling back himself. Hiccup noticed this in time and stiffened, turning rigid to keep them steady. When they were able to get their momentum, they decided they needed to support each other.

"Hold this for awhile," The brunette gave Jack the spear. Hiccup winces when he crouched down due to his deformed leg, but he somehow managed to do what he wanted. He ripped portions of his inner shirt to strips and tied them around each of Jack's foot. "That'll keep it from getting more infected. Now, let's go." He stood up and held the staff, his hand pressing over Jack's now hot ones.

"Go where exactly?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Away from here. Downstream maybe. Somewhere we can hide you until we can find out how to heal and recuperate," He says. Hiccup felt sharp shot of pain as soon as he puts weight o his left leg, and Jack's face drains of color the moment

he takes two steps forward. "Come on. We can do this."

**:::::**

But they couldn't. Not for long anyway. And definitly not without help. They make it about fifty yards downstream, with Hiccup leaning against Jack in away that his bad leg left was beside the albino's right one so he didn't have to put weight on it much, keeping it off ground, and Jack had an arm around Hiccup's shoulder to make sure he remembered to keep moving lest he'd body slam the brunette and then they'd get no where, after awhile, Toothless got tired of the boys' slow pace and struggle to get anywhere that he scratched this master to drop the pack, which he did, and he gestured for the brunette to tie it to him. Confusely, Hiccup did though. Even then, Toothless seemed to move faster and at ease compared to the two boys. The two boys blinked in amazement.

"Wow. How does he make that look like it is't weighing on him in the slightest?"

"I have no idea. He always seemed to have more strength than the average cat though," Hiccup shrugged. "I managed to eat two racoons the first day, and Toothless caught them on his own. Didn't have a weapon then,"

Hiccup saw Jack drooping his eyes every now and then, and he can tell the older male was going to black out after a while. The brunette sits him on the bank, push his head between his knees, and pat his back awkwardly as the brunette leaned on the spear-well, without a spearhead so simply a staff now-and he surveys the area. Of course, Hiccup could see Jack's preference for trees and he wouldn't mind taking that option if the situation wasn't what it was, but obviously it is; and he couldn't quite carry the boy now, let alone up a tree, so thats not going to happen. It could be worse though. Some of the rocks form small cavelike structures. Hiccup sets his sights on one about twenty yards above the stream. When Jack's able to stand, Hiccup half-guides, half-carries him up, and half-leans on him to get to the cave. He was pleasantly surprised that it had it's own pond. At least they didn't have to go to and fro for water. He was glad Toothless insisted on lugging their supplies. He looked to Jack, Snow white-at least more so than before-panting, and, even though the cave only just started cooling off with the mild cool air, Jack's shivering. Which is a bad sign, because District 12 people of Berk were mostly accustomed to it.

_This Frostbite title will be the irony of the games, it seems._

Toothless brings the pack over. Hiccup covers the floor of the cave with a layer of pine needles, unroll the sleeping bag he took out from Jack's pack, and tucks said boy into it. He was thankful that Jack had more supplies than he did. The brunette got a couple of pills and some water into the shivering albino when he's not noticing, but now he refuses to eat even the fruit. Then Jack just lies there, his eyes trained on Hiccup's face as the boy builds a sort of blind out of vines to conceal the mouth of the cave. The result is unsatisfactory. An animal might not question it, but a human would see hands had manufactured it quickly enough. Hiccup tears it down in frustration.

Then he sees it.

A silver parachute floats down and lands in front of Hiccup. _A gift from a sponsor? But why now?_ Now that he and Jack were together, they've been in fairly good shape in terms of supplies. Maybe Aster's noticed their despondency and is trying to cheer them up a bit.

Hiccup opens the parachute and finds a small loaf of bread. It's not the fine white Berk stuff. It's made of dark ration grain and shaped in a crescent. Sprinkled with seeds. He knew what kind it was. This bread came from District 11. He cautiously lifts the still warm loaf. What must it have cost the people of District 11 who can't even feed themselves? How many would've had to do without to scrape up a coin to put in the collection for this one loaf? It didn't add up to Hiccup, why'd they send it to him?

"What is it, Hiccup?" Jack coughed out.

Hiccup turned to him and showed the bread. "Bread. From District 11," He said. "It's odd they'd send it to us,"

Jack looked surprise for a moment when understanding crosses his reatures. "It might have been for Vanellope, but since she... well, you know... They sent it to us instead." _But instead of pulling the gift when she died, they'd authorized Aster to give it to me. _

Hiccup is still confused, then the albino remembered he was practically dead to the world the past day he's been struggling to stay alive.

"She and I teamed up. Blew up the food of the Highs. Then the boy from One got to her." Hiccup widened his eyes. Jack bit his lip. "She showed me tracker jackers nest too. Then helped me and treated my stings... Emma helps mom with the patients she treated, too... Emma... Vanellope... she was so young, wasn't she?"

Hiccup's gaze softened. "That must have been hard..." He said quietly. "So... It's meant as a thank-you?"

"Or like me, they don't like to let debts go unpaid. For whatever reason, this is a first." A district gift to a Light who's not their own. "I understand now though, having to watch her die..."

Hiccup cocked his head. "Understand what?"

"That we're more than pieces in these Games," Jack said hoarsely. "So... I buried her in flowers, it would be better if you were there. You're good with decorating. But I made do with what I had to work it. They wouldn't have expected me to do that for her, would they?"

Hiccup blinks at the audacity of his boldness, but can't help but admire it. He was surprised, though, when Jack crawled out of the warmth of his sleeping bag and takes the bread. Practically sprawling himself of Hiccup's lap, making the brunette's cheeks burn almost hotter than his own increasing temperature, Jack lifts his face and reach his hand out to the last falling rays of sunlight.

"My thanks to the people of District Eleven," He said. And spoke to Hiccup quietly. "I want them to know I know where it came from. That I recognize the full value of it."

Hiccup felt something weird inside him as Jack said those words, and he couldn't help but embrace the boy. Jack stiffened for awhile before he positioned himself to return the hug.

"Why the hug?" Jack smirked despite himself. "not that I'm complaining, I like it."

Hiccup chuckled. "You just keep impressing me," He pulled away, breaking the bread, giving a bigger half to Jack. Because of the recepient, it motivated the albino to eat it. For that, Hiccup was glad. "You should sleep now, might help your fever go down,"

"Soon," Jack promises. "I need to look at your leg first. We don't know about the splotches yet, but I might know about this." The albino was less dazed and dizzy since at least he was sitting. Trying to be as gentle as he can, Jack removes Hiccup's boots, his socks, and then very slowly inch his pants off of him. Jack can see the tears the ridges must've made in the fabric over his thigh, but it in no way prepares him for what lies underneath. The deep inflamed gash oozing both blood and pus. The swelling of the leg. And worst of all, the smell of festering flesh. "What the hell? No way can rocks leave this much damage! What the hell aren't you telling me?"

Hiccup stiffened and sighed. "It was when I was first captured by Daggur," he shivered, remembering his moments held captive. "Azula got to me first, though... She cut me bad, but before she could finish me off... You could say Daggur took it from there... The rocks just made the open wounds worse..."

_Well, that explains the limp even then... So it was Azula who did it. _Still, Jack hated Daggur clenched his fists, "I'll definitely kill that guy," he grunted, "but since he did sort of held off your death, I guess I could make it painless than the torture I initially planned especially for him."

"You were planning a particular torturous way to kill him?" Hiccup scrunched up his nose. "I thought you were better than that..."

Jack's initial response to Hiccup's words was shock and hurt before breaking out to fury. "WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?! AFTER WHAT HE DID..."

"He just kidnapped me. That's hardly cause for a torture death plan."

"HE KISSED YOU!" Jack snapped, his shoulders shaking. Hiccup widened his eyes before his shoulders shuddered at the memory. "I know you're still unsure of your feelings for me..." The albino's shoulders shook. "...but try thinking of how I felt... having to see that... Helpless to do someting, anything about it..." He had wanted to run away. Disappear into the woods like in one particular day he did, that day people brought a burned victim to his home. Go and hunt while his mother and Emma attended to what he had neither the skill nor the courage to face. "I felt something break in me... I couldn't stand it... Couldn't accept it..."

Hiccup looks apologetic. He reached over and gave Jack's hand a gentle squeeze. "But you're here now, you can do something to help me..." He forced a consoling smile, "you can't always protect me, but I appreciate the times you can. Those count for something,"

Jack said nothing and went back to work, starting with draining out the pus. Toothless, bored, went over to see what the boys were up to. He saw Hiccup's injuries, hissed and bounded away. Hiccup feigne a offeneded look.

"Jeez bud, I know it's awful, but do you got to be like that?"

Another hiss.

"You think that's disgusting? You eat raw fish!"

Jack cracked a smile. "It's funny, watching you fraternizing with your cat." He chuckled lightly, it turned to a cough by the end of it though. "Anyway, he's right about one thing. It's not pretty."

"That awful huh?"

"So-so." Jack shrugged like it's no big deal. "You should see some of the people they bring my mother from the hunts... well, those who does hunt anyway." The teen refrains from saying how he usually clears out of the house whenever she's treating anything worse than a cold. "First thing is to clean it well." Jack left on Hiccup's undershorts because they're not in bad shape and he doesn't want to pull them over the swollen thigh and, maybe the idea of Hiccup being naked drove him crazy, he didn't know what he'd do if he did went with it. Not to mention whether or not Hiccup would be comfortable with it. _The last thing I need is sexual frustration..._ Jack's eyes widened at the turn of thought, blushing heatedly but Hiccup only thought it as a fever forming. Jack scoots his square of plastic under Hiccup so he can wash down the rest of him. With each bottle Jack pours over him, the worse the wound looks. The rest of his lower body has fared pretty well, a few small burns that Jack treats quickly. But the gash on Hiccup's leg... _what on earth can I do for that? _

Hiccup snaps him out of his thoughts. "Jack, please rest. You're heating up, it says something that I can feel that much heat with you just touching my thigh,"

"I can't just leave it,"

"We'll figure it out later," The brunette insisted. Jack sighed, and crawled back to his sleeping bag. "In the meantime, you eat these." Hiccup puts a few dried pear halves in Jack's hand and drags himself to the pond to wash the rest of his clothes. When they're flattened out and drying, Hiccup examines the contents of the first-aid kit. It's pretty basic stuff. Bandages, fever pills, medicine to calm stomachs. He took the pills, reading the dosage instructions once more, doing the math when he was to give Jack another drinking of it when he heard said boy calling his attention. Hiccup found Jack looking at the him, waiting. "What?"

"Cuddle up next to me?"

Hiccup widened his eyes, his blush never getting the chance to tone down anymore. "H-huh?"

"I still want you warm. But since you want me to have the the sleeping bag to myself, at least cuddle up next to me. So we're both warm,"

"Right, and the fact that you like me totally has nothing to do with it,"

"Should I take that as rejection to my feelings then?" Jack said this jokingly but there's some seriousness to it.

Hiccup bit his lip, in all honesty, he hasn't yet considered the boy's feelings and how he'd response to it. But now was a good time as any, and maybe having Jack with him could help him along. "Scoot over to those rocks, then. I want us far from the cave mouth as much as possible."

Jack happily obliges. Hiccup crawled up next to him. Toothless looked over, figuring sleep was almost coming, he jumps over Hiccup's lap and cuddles up. The brunette stroke his fur and suddenly, Jack laughs out loud before it turned to a fit of coughing.

"What's wrong with you?"

Jack shook his head, snickering. "Just thinking how we're almost like a family now. The three of us. Mother, father, and a kid."

"Really?" Hiccup raised a brow. "which one am I in those choices?"

Jack grinned, his eyebrows danced. "Well~ since Toothless is the smallest, he's the kid. And he choses you to cuddle up to, and who do children usually go for that?"

"Hey," Hiccup scowled.

Jack shrugged and snuggled closer to the brunette. "Am so glad we're going home together then... I'm pretty sure even if I did take Toothless in, he'd never prefer cuddling up to me more. Not to mention he and Buttercup would fight over food."

Hiccup was reminded of the hopeful rule change once more then. Smiling sincerely despite the previous dig made at his expense, he spoke affectionately to the boy. "Jack," he says, looking over the older boy's face and brush the hair back from his eyes. "Thanks for finding me."

Jack returned the same expression. "Like I could do anything else. And you would have found me if you could," he says softly. Hiccup feels Jack's forehead's burning up. Like the medicines having no effect at all. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the brunette's scared he's going to die. "Look, I know I'm burning up, I was pretty reckless with the trees. Funny, of all things that could take me out..." The albino sighed, a cough follows, and he cupped Hiccup's cheek. "Listen, if I dont make it back..."

"Don't talk like that. If I can live through these games when I don't even fight, then surely you can."

"I know. But just in case I don't..." he tries to continue.

"No, Jack, I don't even want to discuss it," Hiccup says, placing his fingers on his lips to quiet him.

"But I..." he insists.

"Gods!" Hiccup swore. "I will not go anywhere without you, going back to District twelve will not be the same. At least... I'll never look at things the same again, I need you, you're the anyone I'll be able to talk to about this. Aster hardly counts."

Jack smirked. "So I'm like your crutch huh?"

"Sure Jack," Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Let's go with that since I might become crippled anyway,"

Jack had to frown at that. "I could've done something about that, if only I got to you before they did." He sighed and forestalled Hiccup from going over the usual mantra. "Forget doing what I can, I wish I could've... Might've even prevented that kiss..."

"That kiss really bothered you, huh?"

"Oh please, don't tell me it didn't bother you!"

"Uhm.. If it makes you feel better, I didn't kiss back. I folded them in,"

"Be that as it may," Jack pouted. "It didn't look that way to me, and that image will haunt me the rest of my single life."

Hiccup had to admit that it was not pleasant. And he may be a guy, questionable still his preference whether it were girls, guys, or maybe even plain asexual if it was based on any attraction he ever gave to any human being, but he had the sentiments of most people when it came with a first kiss. And he didn't want it stolen... Or another chance for it to be stolen, in this case.

Hiccup bit his lip nervously, also for the purpose of making sure it wasn't chap. "Then... Then let's change that image..."

"What?" Jack gave the boy a questioning look. "How do you suppose we do tha-?" He trailed off as tentative lips were suddenly pressed against his own.

**A/N: Sorry! But I wanted this to be out before I go to a check up in the hospital. If I type any more then no update. Which would you guys have preferred? Besides, it's a good way for the next chapter's beginning. A lenghty description of the kiss so don't hate me! It's justified. I'm not plainly torturing you guys. It was hard enough coming up with a way for the kiss not to be an act and yet still have Hiccup unsure about it, although not insincere.**


	14. The Chance

**A/N: Okay. So here comes more feels. The announcement of the feast. I hope you guys will be satisfied enough with the length of the kiss description. Can't overdo it. Need to save some more description for future kisses. And yes, future kisses.**

**The Chance**

_**"Uhm.. If it makes you feel better, I didn't kiss back. I folded them in,"**_

_**"Be that as it may," Jack pouted. "It didn't look that way to me, and that image will haunt me the rest of my single life."**_

_**Hiccup had to admit that it was not pleasant. And he may be a guy, questionable still his preference whether it were girls, guys, or maybe even plain asexual if it was based on any attraction he ever gave to any human being, but he had the sentiments of most people when it came with a first kiss. And he didn't want it stolen... Or another chance for it to be stolen, in this case.**_

_**Hiccup bit his lip nervously, also for the purpose of making sure it wasn't chap. "Then... Then let's change that image..."**_

_**"What?" Jack gave the boy a questioning look. "How do you suppose we do tha-?" He trailed off as tentative lips were suddenly pressed against his own.**_

**:::::**

One time, after last year's Reaping, Jack was out at the woods with Jamie and they ran into a pack of lynx. They had been running downhill when they came to a fork in the path. Jamie had managed to skid the hard turn and continue his escape. But Jack hadn't been so lucky. On one side, both boys lost the pack eventually. On the other side, Jack ended up barreling forward to the thicket of bush ahead, wherein the otherside had been the edge of a cliff. He ended up freefalling, screaming his lungs out, his gut jumping and doing flip flops of the overwhelming exhilaration of gravity. It was late afternoon, near dusk but since it was winter that time, it was dark enough already so he couldn't see the bottom. Fear clenched his heart, sure he was going to die. He had been lucky, though. Like other times. A huge branch of wood somehow attached to the mountain face had been there to catch him, and it had been strong and sturdy enough to hold him. It wasn't a soft landing, but it saved Jack so he wasn't complaining. He ended up staying the night there, deciding how to get down when he had light. It turned out though, at morning, the bottom was only seven feet far and he could've easily jumped.

That's what Jack felt right now. Overwhelmed. Exhilirated. Minus the fear, plus the elation.

Kissing Hiccup wasn't anything Jack ever experienced in his life. You could add all his happy, joyous, excitement-filled moments in his life so far, and even then it wouldn't have summed up what his mind was trying to process. That, yes, he was kissing his long time crush. And, yes, said crush initiated the deed himself.

Jack could've lost the games right then and he'd die still be happy. His only regret being not being able to get more of this kiss.

_My first kiss! Hiccup's first kiss! Our FIRST kiss!_

It took Jack awhile to get over the initial shock andreturn the kiss enthusiatically yet tenderly still. Aside for the fact that the albino didn't want to freak the brunette out since he was as new to this as he was, he never kissed a boy, which isn't too much a surprise. He only ever confessed to Jamie before he ever got to talking to Hiccup, and you can see the sucess that came from that. Every now and then, they brought their lips apart slightly to breath before gravity pulled it back, the skin tingled with gooseflesh (goosebumps if you folks prefer that) as their breaths mingled as one. Jack found Hiccup's lips soft, and thin. He only ever imagined what it was like to kiss the brunette, but now that option was thrown out the window. This was no imagination. It was real, part of his memory now. A memory he could replay over and over and he will.

And it definitly did the job of erasing that haunting image. What had he been so frustrated about earlier? It wasn't important, it seemed, because Jack couldn't remember.

Hiccup shuddered, chills running down in his spine, but in the best sense possible. At one point, without either boys noticing, scrawny arms wrapped around Jack's neck and stronger, muscle-toned limbs encircled the thin hips. Jack keep lean forward, as if they weren't close enough already, and he ended up bringing them down to the cave floor. Hiccup's back pressed against the cool floor as Jack laid on top of him. But it was anything but uncomfortable, and they were plenty warm. The brunette's reserve and awkwardness in regards to what his preference really was is forgotten for a moment.

But only for a moment.

Before the kiss could get anymore deeper, Jack bursted into a fit of coughing, leaving the boys with no choice but to pull apart, the brunette checking over the albino's condition once more. Of course, after getting him off his person.

~o~

While the feline passed out for the night, Jack was to be given pills again before Hiccup would tuck him into the sleeping bag once more. The brunette checked his temperature with the accuracy of the sense of touch. Which is to say, not much. If it was any consolation though, Jack loved the feel of Hiccup's cool hand-in comparison because, really, in normal circumstances the albino had the colder hand. The brunette forced the albino to eat something while said albino just kept grinning like a goofball, still thinking of the kiss.

When Hiccup tossed him a look, narrowing his eyes with a smirk. "Well," he started, flushing. "that wasn't how I expected a kiss to end, thanks Jack."

Jack widened his eyes, his cheeks burning this time out of embarrasment, as if what happened that interrupted the kiss just registered to him. "Oh crap," He muttered. "that was really bad of me... sorry about that..." _Damn Jack, _he berated himself. ..._way to screw up your only first kiss..._

Amused by how easy he was able to read Jack's expression, the brunette only laughs coyly. "Relax Jack, it's okay..." He added more shyly with a bite to his lip. "...Actually... It was... R-really nice... for the most parts..."

Jack widened his eyes, and grinned widely afterwards. If the boy had enough strength and wasn't battling a fever, he'd probably glomp the younger male at that point. "I'm a pretty damn good kisser, huh?" he said cockily.

Hiccup had to roll his eyes and snort. "I'm not one to make any proper judgement of that, barely having anything to compare it to," he replied curtly. "Daggur's wasn't a kiss, so that hardly counts."

"Glad to hear that," Jack laughed. "well, you're a pretty damn awesome kisser in my book. Not that I have anything to compare it to should prove my point."

"Not very justifiable either, but thanks." Hiccup smiled shyly, head bent, looking at the boy through his short bangs.

They were silent for a moment. Until Jack decided to break the silent after a while of thoughtfulness.

"Hiccup?"

"Hm?"

"Does this mean... You might like me back?"

Hiccup widened his eyes. Apparently, the idea didn't cross his mind. Sure, he enjoyed the kiss. The fact that it was Jack probably made it better. But oddly enough, this didn't not answer anything or clear any confusion. _Gods, what came over me? _Of course, the brunette didn't regret it. The kiss was a damn good one, and Jack really was a damn awesome kisser-not that he'd ever tell the boy that-but what did it mean?

"I-I'm still not s-sure..." Hiccup stammered. "I-I just-it was kinda... at the heat of the moment... I wasn't thinking clearly..." Jack's shoulders slumped visibly, but he tried not to show it. Hiccup saw though, and was immediately overcome with guilt. "I didn't mean it that way," he said timidly. "I just..." Hiccup stopped himself. What was he suppose to say?

Jack read the brunette's expression this time, and offered a consoling smile. "It's all right, Hic." Hiccup blushed and blinked at the nickname, but he didn't hate it. Better than one that sounded like a lovebite, if that. "You don't need to explain, I shouldn't have been so quick to ask." He assured. "After all, you're the sincerest person I know, so that's enough. I know you meant the kiss. Even if you don't know _what _it _meant._" And the albino wasn't lying.

The new rule was still fresh in their minds, therefore so was the idea of returning home together. He knew how confused the boy was when he confessed. That wasn't about to disappear just because the rule changed. It could change, though. He would have but to wait for, hopefully, good results.

"Just take your time. You'll figure it out, my feelings aren't changing anytime soon. So you can take it all in on your own pace," Another smile. "I can wait."

"I-" Hiccup blinked at Jack's encouraging, very reassuring eyes. He had to smile thankfully. "Thanks Jack... For understanding."

Jack smiled. "So..."

"So..." Hiccup raised a brow.

"Can I get another for being such a gallant?" The brunette couldn't help but laugh, how natural and casual the albino asked the question. It was amusing. "What?" Jack asked a bit too innocently.

Hiccup smirked. "I'm surprise you weren't repulse for kissing me," he admitted. "I mean, you just kissed a fishbone. I'd have thought you'd choke."

"Har," Jack snorted. "I beg to differ. So should I take that as a no?"

"You can take it as a _maybe, _for now I want you to rest."

**:::::**

Hiccup steps out in the cool evening air. He took a deep breath and tried to sort his thoughts. _The kiss. What was the about? How in Thor am I suppose to read into it? _True enough, the kiss wasn't forced. So it couldn't be anything but sincere. Hiccup will not deny that he even enjoyed it. But he was never really kissed anyone, not that way. So Heather didn't count anymore than Daggur did. His response to Heather's? Fluster. To Daggur's? Disgust and Repulse. Times ten. If he had eaten before then, he was sure he would've threw up. This caused Hiccup to think back to that one other time he got a kiss from Jack. At the parade, the kiss on his bruised cheek. There was affection on that, too. It wasn't playful as he initially thought. Even when he did thought that... What did he get out of it? What did he feel, if he was pushing past the shock of its unexpectance?

_Warmth, _Hiccup decided. _And security..._

But was this an indication of his feelings for the boy? The brunette's never been in love. Like he said, it was in the heat of the moment. Although he didn't hate it, it still left many questions unanswered. Questions that revolved the core question.

_Was this love?_

As a similar response to Jack's earlier question, he had nothing to compare it to. Differentiating it from family love or his love for Toothless would hardly count. Hiccup sighed, taking Jack's assurance that he didn't have to rush and that he could take his time. He was going to return to the cave just as a parachute floats down from the sky. Hiccup reaches up to it, his fingers quickly undo the tie, hoping for some real medicine to treat Jack's fever. The pills only seemed to subdue it somewhat. Instead, he finds a pot of hot broth.

Aster couldn't be sending him a clearer message. _One kiss equals one pot of broth._ Hiccup can almost hear his snarl. _You're not helping this along. Move along the confusion._ _The boy's dying. You want him to live, that's something sincere. Not an act. Just give me something I can work with!_

Well, at least Aster got that down. And he's right. If Hiccup wanted to keep Jack alive, he's got to give the audience something more to care about. Star-crossed lovers desperate to get home together. Two hearts beating as one. Romance. They could be that, anyway. If Hiccup stopped fighting it, and just let it flowed. It wasn't like the idea of being with Jack _that way _was disturbing. In fact, it was even appealing. The brunette started considering that the idea wasn't all that bad. And not even remotely a lie. He did care about Jack, and if there's one thing he knows, things like fondness grows.

Still, never having been in love, this is going to be a real trick for the Haddock boy. He thinks of his parents. While Stoick wasn't much of an openly affectionate person, his father never failed to bring her gifts from the woods when he still hunted regularly. Even now, he only goes through the woods to at least get Val something. The woman needed constant reminder that she was appreciated and beautiful, since she wasn't all that thrilled with her body figure. So the way his mother's face would light up at the sound of his boots at the door was an indication of her affection for the man, and her devotion to him that she'd never miss an oppurtunity to give him the daily massage he rightly deserved or cooked him up a decent meal...

Well, he didn't cook it, but Hiccup had to start somewhere.

"Jack!" Hiccup says, trying for the special tone that his mother used only with his father. Jack's dozed off again, but Hiccup tickles his nose to wake him awake, which seems to startle the sick boy. Then he smiles as if Jack'd be happy to lie there gazing at Hiccup forever.

And somehow, the thought made the brunette giddy. Hiccup holds up the pot.

"Jack, look what Aster has sent you."

**:::::**

Getting the broth into Jack takes an hour of coaxing, begging, threatening, and yes, flirting, and it didn't help that Jack wasn't all that fond of Aster. Until finally a promise of a kiss sealed the deal, sip by sip, Jack empties the pot. As promise, Hiccup gave him a kiss. But to the cheek.

"That's cheating." Jack pouted.

"That," Hiccup corrected, "my friend, is saving time." He didn't bother clarifying they could get carried away. The brunette didn't want things to get awkward, if that.

Jack conceded, thankfully. The older male drifts off to sleep then and the younger attends to his own needs, wolfing down a supper of groosling and roots while he watches the daily report in the sky. No new casualties. Still, Jack and he have given the audience a fairly interesting day. So Gamemakers will allow them a peaceful night. Not that this thought crossed Hiccup's mind. He didn't know how these Games work the way Jack did.

The brunette finds a set of useful night-vision goggles in the pack and puts them on, place the weapons in readiness, and settle down to keep watch. The temperature drops rapidly and soon he's chilled to the bone. He doubted snuggling up to Tothless would make much of a difference. The feline had fur, sure, but wasn't a bear. Eventually, he gives in and slides into the sleeping bag with Jack, pretty sure the boy wouldn't have mind. It's toasty warm and Hiccup found himself snuggled down gratefully until he realizes it's more than warm, it's overly hot because the bag is reflecting back his fever. The brunette checks the albino's forehead and find it burning and dry. He doesn't know what to do. Leave him in the bag and hope the excessive heat breaks the fever? Take him out and hope the night air cools him off? Hiccup ended up just dampening a strip of bandage and placing it on Jack's forehead. It seems weak, but he's afraid to do anything too drastic.

Hiccup spends the night half-sitting, half-lying next to Jack, refreshing the bandage, when the sky turns rosy, the brunette notices the sheen of sweat on the older male's lip and discovers the fever has broken. He's not back to normal, but it's come down a few degrees. Last night, when Hiccup was gathering vines, he came upon a bush of some berries similar to the ones in Jack's pack. Struggling to get back to it, he strips off the fruit and brings it back to mash it up in the broth pot with cold water.

Jack's struggling to get up when Hiccup reaches the cave, spear/staff in hand. Toothless bounded up to Hiccup easily, nuzzling his good leg, making Jack scowl in envy. "I woke up and you were gone," he says. "I was worried about you."

Hiccup had to laugh as he eased him back down, wincing himself as he settled down. "Worry for yourself, as well. Have you taken a look at yourself lately?" He teased, Toothless settling in on his lap.

"I thought Daggur and Azula might have found you. They like to hunt at night," Jack says, still serious. "They're still alive right? Or have I missed something while I was out?"

Hiccup just nodded. "There's just them and us and Ralph and the Girl from five,"

"Tigerface," Jack says. Hiccup gave him a blank yet blunt _You-make-no-sense _look, causing the albino to laugh. "That's what I nicknamed the girl from Five."

Hiccup accepted the reasoning easy enough. "How do you feel?"

"Better than yesterday." Jack shrugged. "And you?"

"Well, this is an enormous improvement over the mud," Hiccup says. "Clean clothes and medicine, good food and a sleeping bag..."

"And me?"

Hiccup blushed but afforded to be snarky. "I'll say yes for the sake of your ego," he grinned.

"Wow," Jack rolled his eyes. "Thank you for sparing my ego, I couldn't bear it having injured."

"Why, of course," Hiccup says in the Berk accent, "The very least I could do after you cleaned me up. I couldn't bear being filthy for another moment!"

Jack laughed out loud, hearing Hiccup used the accent for the first time and finding it hilarious. Then he breaks into a fit of coughing. Dropping the playful banter, Hiccup reaches out to touch his cheek and Jack catches his hand and presses it against his lips. The brunette remembers Stoick doing this very thing to Val when he also came down on a fever. The albino pressed his hand against the brunette's nape, trying to bring him down.

"Can I?"

Hiccup presses his hand against Jack's forehead, preventing. "No more kisses for you until you've eaten," he says.

Hiccup gets him propped up against the wall and he obediently swallows the spoonfuls of the berry mush the brunette fed him. He refuses the groosling again, though. Funny, because he caught it himself.

"You didn't sleep," Jack says, noticing the bags.

Hiccup shrugged. "I'm all right," he says. But the truth is, he's exhausted.

"Sleep now. I'll keep watch. I'll wake you if anything happens," he says. Hiccup hesitates. "Hic, I can handle it, and you can't stay up forever."

He's got a point there. Hiccup had to sleep eventually. And probably better to do it now when Jack seems relatively alert and they had daylight on their side. "All right," Hiccup says. "Wake me if you feel odd,"

It's too warm for the sleeping bag now. Hiccup smooths it out on the cave floor and lie down, Jack sits beside him, leaning against the wall, looking over the bandages on the brunette's bad leg stretched out before him. He replaces them, which the brunette forgot to do in behalf of nursing Jack's fever. Afterwaards, Jack's eyes trained on the world outside when he notices the still open emeralds. "Go to sleep," he says softly.

The albino's hand brushes the loose strands of brunette locks off Hiccup's forehead. This gesture seems natural and comforting. Hiccup doesn't want him to stop and he doesn't. He's still stroking his hair when Hiccup falls asleep, Jack bringing him to rest on his lap.

**:::::**

Too long. Hiccup slept too long. He knows from the moment he opened his eyes that they were into the afternoon. Toothless was under Jack's one hand, as the boy stroked his fur. Jack's lap was right beneath Hiccup, his position unchanged. The brunette sits up, feeling somehow defensive but better rested than he's been in days.

"Jack," Hiccup scowled. "you were supposed to wake me after a couple of hours,"

"For what? Nothing's going on here," Jack says. "Besides I like watching you sleep. You don't get snarky. Improves your adorable looks a lot." Toothless stretched, and went to the pond to hunt some fish. They weren't big, but fish was fish.

This, of course, brings on a snarky remark that makes Jack grin. That's when Hiccup notices how dry his lips are. The brunette tests the albino's cheek. Hot as a coal stove. Jack claims he's been drinking, but the containers still feels full to Hiccup. The brunette gives him more fever pills and stand over him while he drinks first one, then a second quart of water. Then Hiccup tends to his own minor wounds, the burns, which are showing improvement if he didn't count his left leg. Jack had the right idea of chaging the bandages, the wounds were healing fairly well at least. Then he gets back to Jack, deciding it was time to turn his attention back to the source of the fever. He unwraps the cloths on the albino's feet.

Hiccup's heart drops into his stomach. It's worse, much worse. Jack's once snow white flesh at his feet was starting to really blackened by the initial splotches. The brunette remembered now the complete effects now.

_Black Death causes fearling flesh-eating disease. Unchecked, it will kill him for sure._

Nothing would make a dent in it. They'll need strong anti-infection drugs from Berk. Hiccup can't imagine the cost of such potent medicine. If Aster pooled every donation from every sponsor, would he have enough? Hiccup doubted it. Gifts go up in price the longer the Games continue, Anna told him. What buys a full meal on day one buys a cracker on day twelve. And the kind of medicine Jack needs would have been at a premium from the beginning.

"What Hiccup?"

"Fearling flesh-eating disease. It'll blacken your entire body before..." Hiccup swallowed. "Before the full effects take place,"

Jack understood. "So, that's why it's called black deathwood..."

"You're just going to have to outlast the others, Jack." Hiccup's voice shook, "They'll cure it back at Berk when we win,"

"Yes, that's a good plan," Jack says. But Hiccup feels this is mostly for his benefit.

"And don't feel nervous or scared or anything like that. It'll make the disease spread faster,"

"How can I be scared?" Jack grinned weakly. "I got you here taking care of me,"

Hiccup couldn't even eye-roll at that. "You have to eat. Keep your strength up. I'm going to make you soup,"

"Don't light a fire," Jack says. "It's not worth it."

"We'll see," The brunette says. As he takes the pot to the cave pond, Toothless offers him a fish. Deciding it might go well with the soup for flavor, he accepted it, making sure to leave out the part his feline bit on. After filling it with water, Hiccup looks out the cave mouth, struck by how brutally hot it was. He swears the Gamemakers are progressively ratcheting up the temperature in the daytime and sending it plummeting at night. Hiccup considered this prospect, the heat of the sun-baked stones by the stream gives him an idea. Maybe he won't need to light a fire.

Hiccup told Jack he'd go out for a while, assuring that Toothless was gonna be with him which made the albino relaxed somewhat. They both agreed Toothless was a reliable guard. Hiccup winces and stumbled a bit with his bad leg, but since it wasn't as bad as it used to be, somehow he manages to make it to the stream. It didn't hurt as much as yesterday when he put weight on it. But it still hurt. He was so glad to settle down on a big flat rock halfway between the stream and the cave. After purifying half a pot of water, he places it in direct sunlight and add several egg-size hot stones to the water and the small freshwater fish. Hiccup's not much of a cook, but since soup mainly involves tossing everything in a pot and waiting, it's one of his better dishes. Toothless entertains himself by catching bigger fish, while Hiccup minces groosling until it's practically mush and mash some of Jack's roots. He's impress Jack remembered enough of the edible ones from what he said. They didn't have this back home, so maybe Jack did get to use the computer. Then a new thought comes to him. It was either that, or Vanellope.

Hiccup found himself considering the latter option more.

Fortunately, the ingredients both been roasted already so they mostly need to be heated up. Already, between the sunlight and the rocks, the water's warm. The brunette puts in the meat and roots, swap in fresh rocks, and goes find something green to spice it up a little. Before long, he discovers a tuft of chives growing at the base of some rocks.

_Perfect._

Hiccup chops them very fine and add them to the pot, switch out the rocks again, put on the lid, and let the whole thing stew. He's seen very few signs of game around, but it didn't matter because he wasn't one for hunting the way Snoutlout, his father, or even Jack does. Then, he recalled Jack's comment about being a family. He couldn't hunt more food for Jack, but he can cook the ones the albino hunted at the very least for him.

_Gods, _Hiccup blushed heatedly. _I am the damn mother..._

He shook the thought off, and decides to rig half a dozen snares and hope he gets lucky. Hiccup wondered about the other Lights, how they're managing now that their main source of food has been blown up, as per Jack's report. At least three of them, Daggur, Azula, and the one Jack named Tigerface, had been relying on it. Probably not Ralph though. At least, Hiccup hadn't seen since the Games started. Maybe he even shares some of Vanllope's knowledge on how to feed yourself from the earth.

_Are they fighting each other? Looking for us? Maybe one of them has located us and is just waiting for the right moment to attack. _

The idea sends Hiccup back to the cave, Toothless at his heels.

Jack's stretched out on top of the sleeping bag in the shade of the rocks. Although he brightens a bit when the brunette comes in, it's clear he feels miserable. Hiccup puts cool cloths on his head, but they warm up almost as soon as they touch his skin.

His entire feet were now blacker than coal, and Hiccup sees some dot splotches beginning to form when he takes off Jack's gloves.

"Hiccup," Jack frowned. "won't you get infected by just touching me?"

Hiccup shakes his head immediately. "Hardly, this is a man-made disease. The only way to get it in your system is through the main source. The tree. Can't be transferred by air. So don't even worry about me for it,"

"Damn you are clever."

"Thought that was established? And it's not a big deal, not like it's medicene." Hiccup snorted. "Do you want anything?"

"No," he says. "Thank you. Wait, yes. Tell me a story."

"A story? Why would you ask for that?" Hiccup raises a brow. He was expecting something along the lines of food and water when he asked. "And about what?"

"I want to know you more. The part of you back home. Something happy. Tell me about the happiest day you can remember," says Jack. "In exchange, I'll tell you how I found Toothless.

Something between a sigh and a huff of exasperation leaves my mouth. A happy story? This will require a lot more effort than the soup. Having almost next to no friends, although he wasn't particularly complaining about that, there wasn't much cause to be happy. Hiccup racks his brains for good memories. "Well, since you mentioned it, I might as well tell you the time I first me Toothless."

Jack looks at Hiccup expectantly albeit confused. "Thought your mom got him for you?"

"Yeah, but I met him a bit before then," Hiccup chooses his words carefully, knowing this would most possibly be broadcast to the entire Berk. "You're aware of the woods right?"

Jack shrugged, sure he did. He ony relies on it for survival, hunting there regularly for food and game to trade. But he doesn't say this outloud, because it was illegal.

"Back when I was little... Well," Hiccup scanned his physique. "Little-_er,_" Jack chuckled once at that. "I was running from some bullies from school, they pretty much ended up stopping when I climbed over the fence,"

Jack widened his eyes, about t shut Hiccup up when the brunette held off the hand that was gonna do it.

"I was six that time, like I had any mind to remember the dangers. But it wasn't like I poached or anything,"

Jack considered this, there was no specific law not to climb over the fence. On paper, the purpose of putting the fence there was to prevent wild animals from getting in. Technically, Hiccup didn't do anything bad for climbing over it.

"I didn't get farther than the clearing with a lake though, that's when I found a black cat with green eyes in the middle of it all," Hiccup spoke softly, as if remembering. "Actually, it was a kitten still. And it seemed injured. It had a bad leg..."

At that, Jack smirked pointedly at Hiccup's own leg.

"Har-har, don't mock me." Hiccup snapped.

Jack just laughed and made a gesture to tell him to go on.

"I didn't have much friends, even then. So of course, finding an alone, probaby even abandoned, injured cat right there. Something about that struck me, like I saw myself in it. So I had to help him, couldn't leave it there to be eaten by some wild animal."

Hiccup remembered as if it were yesteray. When he first approached it, he already had a fish with him. When the cat opened his eyes, he gave Hiccup a speculative, wary look. When the brunete showed the fish, the cat deemed him friendly enough., he approached him and opened his mouth, the brunette finding he was toothless and wondered how it planned on eating when suddenly razor-sharp teeth popped out from the gums and he snapped the fish up. Little Hiccup barely had time to pull his hand away. The cat offered him parts of the fish. Hiccup frowned when he realize what the cat wanted him to do. But he obliged, if only to let it get to his good side. He did his best to keep it down. The cat moved away from him after, limping to the mouth of the lake. Hiccup tried to pet him, but the cat would just hiss. Dejectedly, the brunette pulled out his sketch book and a charcoal attached to a piece of stick to be fashioned into a make-shift pencil to draw with. A bit later, the cat came over curiously to see what the boy was doing. It cocked his head, finding the sketch familiar. And it was, the brunette had drawn the feline. The said feline then stole the makeshift pencil and scribbled nonsense lines into the next pag before dropping it to Hiccup's lap after he was satisfied, adding a big dot in the middle for the finish. Hiccup squinted his eyes at the drawing, wondering what possesed the cat to think it was art. He took the end of his makeshift pencil to erase it so there wouldn't be any wasted page, but the cat snarled. And he kept doing that every time Hiccup placed the end of his drawing tool to the lines, he tested it. Finally, Hiccup decided to leave it and simply closed his sketch book. Happy, the cat snuggled into Hiccup's lap and finally let the boy touch him. The cat slept while Hiccup got some leaves from nearby bushes to wrap aroud the bad leg. He was six and didn't know much of first-aid, but he knew about bandages and decided to go with that. Hiccup wanted to take it home with him, but didn't know if his parents would like it. They might even be mad that he went over the fence. So he left it there, making sure to come back tomorrow. Only when he did, the cat was gone. The brunette practically cried, sure he was eaten.

It was a few years after when he saw him again. It was the Mayor's daughter's birthday, and everyone was wondering what the Mayor spent the District's fund to get her gift.

"But he never really did that,"

As it turned out, some guy gave a nice-loooking green-eyed cat. Traded it for something, and the Mayor decided it would make a good gift. Heather didn't hate it, but while she didnt't have anything against animals, she wasn't fond of it. The idea of taking good care of a pet when her own father could barely take care of the people of his District. One day, when Val was out delivering the daily breads, Hiccup was with her. When the cat saw Hiccup and vice versa, they immediately recognized each other. The cat bounded happily to the boy, and while the boy was glad to see him again, he couldn't quite take the pet away.

But Heather let them. Promising that she'll deal with telling her father about it later.

"That's a nice story," says Jack. "And Heather's awesome for giving him to you without charge,"

Hiccup had almost forgotten he was there. "Yeah. She's great, I was surprised when she saw me off. Only realize she was really my friend all this time, even gave me her Nightfury pin."

Jack felt somehiow relaxed when he let out that bit of information himself, remembering Vanellope's words of the Nightfury's symbolism. Berk would dismiss the idea of Hiccup trying to incite rebellion by choosing the pin as his token, then.

"Okay, now your turn." He insisted. "How did you find Toothless?"

Jack shrugged. "I wore a wig, disguised myself in some large cloak and platform shoes to make me look taller, escaped the building to look. Then found him in an animal shelter. Between the exotic birds and wingless dragons, it wasn't a hot sell. Got him back cheap, Elsa lent me some money. And there you have it." He said simply.

Hiccup scrunched up his nose. "That sounds rather anticlimatic,"

"Hey, I got him back for you, to make you happy again," Jack pouted. "It's the thought."

Hiccup replayed his words, and had to agree. It didn't matter if he got Toothless in a heroic way or not. Said feline was now caught in a tangle of knots, frustrated by his defeat. But he was alive. He was with Hiccup. And that mattered most. It made him happy. The brunette smiled and embraced Jack once more in thanks before feeling something wrong. Hiccup tests Jack's forehead. The level's going nowhere but up.

The sound of the trumpets startles the boys. Hiccup's inches to the mouth of the cave, not wanting to miss a syllable. It's their new best friend, Turbo K.C. Time, and as Jack had expected nights before, he's inviting them to a feast.

"Well, we're not that hungry," Hiccup shrugged and he waves his offer away in indifference.

When Turbo says, "Now hold on. Some of you may already be declining my invitation. But this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately."

Hiccup bit his lip. He did need something desperately. Something to heal Jack's infection.

"Each of you will find that something in a backpack, marked with your district number, at the Cornucopia at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this will be your last chance," says Turbo.

There's nothing else, just his words hanging in the air. Hiccup moves as Jack grips his shoulder from behind.

"No," he says. "You're not risking your life for me."

"Who said I was?"

"So, you're not going?" he asks.

"O-of course, I'm not going. Give me some credit. Do you think I'm running straight into some free-for-all against Daggur and Azula and Ralph? Heh-hehe, Don't be stupid like you were in those trees," Hiccup say, helping him back to bed. "I'll let them fight it out, we'll see who's in the sky tomorrow night and work out a plan from there."

"You're such a bad liar, Hiccup. Of course, those words coming from a seriously sincere person, you couldn't lie if your life depended it. Or even if it was mine, as it seems."

Anger flushes Hiccup's face. "All right, I am going, sure, I'll risk my life for you. You can't do it for yourself, you can hardly sit up, I can manage on my leg somehow. I just have to avoid being detected and it'll be fine, so I'm going and you can't stop me."

"I can follow you. At least partway. I may not make it to the Cornucopia, but if I'm yelling your name, I bet someone can find me. And then I'll be dead for sure," he says.

"You won't get a hundred yards from here walking,"

"Then I'll drag myself," says Jack. "You go and I'm going, too."

Jack's just stubborn enough and maybe just strong enough to do it. Come howling after the brunette in the woods. Even if a Light doesn't find him, something else might. He cant defend himself. Hiccup probably would have to wall him up in the cave just to be able to leave. And who knows what the exertion will do to him?

"What am I supposed to do? Sit here and watch you die?" Hiccup chokes. "Jack, I told you I wasn't gonna kill anyone. I couldn't even if I tried. I'll be dead eventually if you go on first. Don't you see? I have to go."

"I won't die. I promise. If you promise not to go," he says. "We'll wait them out, right?"

They were at something of a stalemate. Hiccup knows he can't argue Jack out of this one, so he stops trying. Hiccup pretends, reluctantly, to go along. "Then you have to do what I say. Drink your water, wake me when I tell you, and eat every bite of the soup no matter how disgusting it is!" He snap at him.

"Agreed. Is it ready?" he asks.

"Wait here," I say. The airs gone cold even though the suns still up. Hiccup's right about the Gamemakers messing with the temperature. He wondered if the thing someone needs desperately is a good blanket. The soup is still nice and warm in its iron pot. And actually doesn't taste too bad.

Jack eats without complaint, even scraping out the pot to show his enthusiasm. He rambles on about how delicious it is, which should be encouraging if you don't know what fever does to people. Hiccup gives him another dose of fever medicine before he goes off his head completely.

As Hiccup goes down to the stream to wash up, all he can think is that Jack's going to die if he doesn't get to that feast. Hiccup can keep him going for a day or two, and then the infection will reach his heart or his brain or his lungs and Jack will be gone. And the brunette will be here all alone. Again. Waiting for the others.

Hiccup's so lost in thought that he almost misses the parachute, even though it floats right by him. Then he springs after it, yanking it from the water, tearing off the silver fabric to retrieve the vial. Aster has done it! He's gotten the medicine. Hiccup doesn't know how, persuaded some gaggle of romantic fools to sell their jewels maybe.

_I can save Jack!_

It's such a tiny vial though. It must be very strong to cure someone as ill as Jack. A ripple of doubt runs through Hiccup. He uncorks the vial and take a deep sniff. His spirit's fall at the sickly sweet scent. Just to be sure, Hiccup places a drop on the tip of his tongue. There's no question, its sleep syrup. It's a common medicine in District 12. Cheap, as medicine goes, but very addictive. Almost everyone's had a dose at one time or another. The Haddocks have some in a bottle at home. Hiccup knows Mrs. Overland gives it to hysterical patients to knock them out to stitch up a bad wound or quiet their minds or just to help someone in pain get through the night. It only takes a little. A vial this size could knock Jack out for a full day, but what good is that? Hiccup's so furious he's about to throw Aster's last offering into the stream when it hits him. A full day? Thats more than Hiccup needed.

Hiccup mashes up a handful of berries so the taste won't be as noticeable and add some mint leaves for good measure. Then he heads back up to the cave. "I've brought you a treat. I found a new patch of berries a little farther downstream."

Jack opens his mouth for the first bite without hesitation. He swallows then frowns slightly. "They're very sweet."

"Yes, they're sugar berries. My mother makes jam from them. Haven't you ever had them before?" Hiccup says, poking the next spoonful in his mouth.

"No," he says, almost puzzled. "But they taste familiar. Sugar berries?"

"Well, you can't get them in the market much, they only grow wild, we only get them for bmaking jam bread." The brunette shrugs. Another mouthful goes down. Just one more to go.

"They're sweet as syrup," Jack says, taking the last spoonful. "Syrup." His eyes widen as he realizes the truth. Hiccup clamp his hand over his mouth and nose hard, forcing him to swallow instead of spit. The albino tries to make himself vomit the stuff up, but it's too late, he's already losing consciousness. Even as he fades away, Hiccup can see in his eyes what he's done is unforgivable.

Hiccup sits back on his heels, stroking Toothless, and looks at Jack with a mixture of sadness and remorse. But it had to be done. Jack had to live. They had to go home together. A stray berry stains the albino's chin and Hiccup wipes it away.

"Who can't lie, Jack?" Hiccup whispers, even though he can't hear him. "Who can't lie if you're ife depended on it?"

**A/N: Some of you are probably like **_**"OHH! Hiccup why do you still deny?! Put Jack out of his misery, won't you?! Why won't you?!" **_**Yeah. I'm asking that too. The story has a mind of its own. So what do you guys think of how Jack got a fever? It was kinda on the spot when I thought of it. Was it obvious? LuvlyLadyLexi helped me plan it. I'll never stop owing her huh?**


	15. The Feast

**A/N: Okay, so it's time for Hiccup to do something, Action-wise, for his handsome Jack. Yes, I say **_**his**_** because he technically has the Frostbite wrapped around his fingers. He just has to open his damn emeralds and acknowledge it. Oh yeah, readers who also read my SLUMBER ficc, please be informed that I edited the last chapter to better explain the fact that Hiccup and Jack had kids. Please check it out, don't be logged in so you can leave me new reviews to that chapter. Just put your names down. Thank you.**

**The Feast**

_**"They're sweet as syrup," Jack says, taking the last spoonful. "Syrup." His eyes widen as he realizes the truth. Hiccup clamp his hand over his mouth and nose hard, forcing him to swallow instead of spit. The albino tries to make himself vomit the stuff up, but it's too late, he's already losing consciousness. Even as he fades away, Hiccup can see in his eyes what he's done is unforgivable. **_

_**Hiccup sits back on his heels, stroking Toothless, and looks at Jack with a mixture of sadness and remorse. But it had to be done. Jack had to live. They had to go home together. A stray berry stains the albino's chin and Hiccup wipes it away. **_

_**"Who can't lie, Jack?" Hiccup whispers, even though he can't hear him. "Who can't lie if you're ife depended on it?"**_

**:::::**

In the remaining hours before nightfall, Hiccup gathers rocks and does his best to camouflage the opening of the cave. It's a slow and arduous process even more so with a bad leg that for the rest of it the brunette had to rely on Toothless to tug it along, but after a lot of sweating and shifting things around, he's pretty pleased with their work, The cave now appears to be part of a larger pile of rocks, like so many in the vicinity. Hiccup can still crawl in to Jack through a small opening, but it's undetectable from the outside. That's good, because he'll need to share that sleeping bag again tonight. Also, if Hiccup doesn't make it back from the feast, Jack will be hidden but not entirely imprisoned. Although Hiccup doubted Jack can hang on much longer without medicine.

_If I die at the feast, District 12 isnt likely to have a victor. _

The brunette makes a meal out of the smaller, bonier fish that inhabit the stream down here, fill every water container and purify it, and cleans the weapons. Jack still had nine spearheads left in all. But really, Hiccup only wanted to take the knife. He only needed the spear as a walking stick. Hiccup surveyed his work once more. He was right about camouflage being a final defense. Still, he leaves Toothless as guard dog-erm-cat. It took a lot of begging, but since Toothless was already somewhat fond of Jack as well, he decided to agree with it.

Here are some things Hiccup's fairly certain of. That at least Daggur, Azula, and Ralph will be on hand when the feast starts. He's not sure about Tigerface since direct confrontation isn't her style or her forte, based on Jack's stories. She's even smaller than Hiccup was and maybe even unarmed, unless she's picked up some weapons recently. She'll probably be hanging somewhere nearby, seeing what she can scavenge. But the other three... Hiccup's going to have his hands full. His ability to throw a knife didn't comfort him. Because he'd lose his only weapon if he went with that. Anyway, he knew he'll have to go right into the thick of things to get that backpack, the one with the number 12 on it that Turbo K.C. Time mentioned.

Hiccup watches the sky, hoping for one less opponent at dawn, but nobody appears tonight. Tomorrow there will be faces up there. Feasts' always result in fatalities.

The brunette crawls into the cave, secure the glasses, and curl up next to Jack. Luckily he had that good long sleep today. Hiccup has to stay awake. He doesn't really think anyone will attack their cave tonight, but he can't risk missing the dawn.

So cold, so bitterly cold tonight. As if the Gamemakers have sent an infusion of frozen air across the arena, which may be exactly what they've done. Hiccup lies next to Jack in the bag, trying to absorb every bit of his fever heat. At this late stage in the Games, with an important event like the feast, school will probably be canceled. His family can either watch on that static-filled old clunker of a television at home or join the crowds in the square to watch on the big, clear screens, They'll have privacy at home but support in the square. People will give them a kind word, a bit of food if they can spare it. Hiccup wondered how his and Jack's family are taking to each other, especially now that Jack and him are a team. Spirits must be running high in District 12. They so rarely have anyone to root for at this point in the Games. Surely, people are excited about Jack and Hiccup, especially now that were together. In the relative sense. Hiccup swallowed his spit, wondering how his family was taking everything they saw. If he closes his eyes, Hiccup can imagine their shouts at the screens, urging them on. He sees their faces, Gothi and Heather and even the GUardians who buy the meat from him or Snoutlout, cheering for them.

But would Stoick? How is he taking his son kissing a boy on his own will? Hiccup never thought too far to that when he initiated the kiss. He knew his mom might afford to be understanding, he really didn't know about Snoutlout, but Stoick... He still didn't regret the kiss, but he might if that was the reason.

And Jamie. He'll be rooting for Jack, they were best friends. Hiccup remembers the interview, and can't fight the blush that formed. Jack mentioned having a best friend, and crushing on him too but he turned him down. Was that Jamie? Well, that had to be given. They were constant companions. That being said...

_What in Thor possessed Jack to think that I had nothing on Jamie?_

Hiccup was scrawny. Jamie had a nice muscle-tone to him. Hiccup had freckles messing up his face. Jamie had a smooth and flawless look. Hiccup had crooked teeth. Jamie may not have Jack's sparkling white teeth, but they were straight.

Somehow, it warmed Hiccup's heart, thinking that Jack sees something more in him that he does.

Through a crack in the rocks, Hiccup watches the moon cross the sky. At what he judges to be about three hours before dawn, the brunette begins final preparations. He's careful to leave Jack with water and the medical kit right beside him. Toothless can managed with the pond. Nothing else will be of much use if Hiccup doesn't return, and even these would only prolong his life a short time. After some debate, the brunette strips Jack of his jacket and zip it on over his own. He doesn't need it. Not now in the sleeping bag with his fever, and during the day, if Hiccup's not there to remove it, he'll be roasting in it. Hiccup's hands aren't already stiff from cold thankfully because of the gloves. Hiccup fills A small pack with some food, a water bottle, and bandages, tuck the knife in his belt, and takes the spearhead-less staff. He's about to leave when he looked at Jack one more time, he looked peaceful despite battling a fever now. He can't help but remember his expression when Hiccup gave him that syrup. Remorseful, he leaned in to give a long, apologetic, lingering kiss. Then he squeezes through the opening in the rocks out into the night.

**:::::**

His breath makes small white clouds as it hits the air. It's as cold as a November night at home. He moves as fast as he dares. The glasses are quite remarkable, the woods always look different at night. Even with the glasses, everything has an unfamiliar slant to it. As if the daytime trees and flowers and stones had gone to bed and sent slightly more ominous versions of themselves to take their places. Hiccup doesn't try anything tricky, like taking a new route. He makes his way back up the stream and follow the same path back a clearing near lake. Along the way, he sees no sign of another Light, not a puff of breath, not a quiver of a branch. Either he's the first to arrive or the others positioned themselves last night. There's still more than an hour, maybe two, when Hiccup wriggles into the underbrush and wait for the blood to begin to flow warmth. Hiccup chews a few mint leaves, his stomach isn't up for much more. Thank goodness, he has Jack's jacket as well as his own. If not, he'd be forced to move around to stay warm. The sky turns a misty morning gray and still there's no sign of the other Lights. It's not surprising really. Everyone has distinguished themselves either by strength or deadliness or cunning.

_Do they suppose,_ Hiccup wonders, _that I have Jack with me?_

All the better if they think he's covering the brunette when he goes in for the backpack.

But where is it? The arena has lightened enough for Hiccup to remove the glasses. He can hear the morning birds singing. Isn't it time? For a second, Hiccup's panicked that he's at the wrong location. But no, he's certain he remembers Turbo K.C. Time specifying the Cornucopia. And there it is. And here he was. So where's the feast?

Just as the first ray of sun glints off the gold Cornucopia, there's a disturbance on the plain. The ground before the mouth of the horn splits in two and a round table with a snowy white cloth rises into the arena. On the table sit four backpacks, two large black ones with the numbers 2 and 11,a medium-size green one with the number 5, and a tiny orange one, really Hiccup could carry it around his wrist, that must be marked with a 12.

_The medicene all right,_

The table has just clicked into place when a figure darts out of the Cornucopia, snags the green backpack, and speeds off. Tigerface! Leave it to her to come up with such a clever and risky idea! The rest of the Lights are still poised around the plain, sizing up the situation, and she's got hers. She's got them trapped, too, because no one wants to chase her down, not while their own pack sits so vulnerable on the table. Tigerface must have purposefully left the other packs alone, knowing that to steal one without her number would definitely bring on a pursuer.

_That should have been my strategy!_

By the time Hiccup's worked through the emotions of surprise, admiration, anger, jealousy, and frustration, he's watching that cunning girl disappear into the trees well out of shooting range. Jack and Hiccup were always dreading the others, but maybe Tigerface is the real opponent here. She's cost Hiccup time, too, because by now it's clear that he must get to the table next. Anyone who beats him to it will easily scoop up his pack and be gone. Hiccup tested his leg, it hurts but not so much as a short pang that can easily be ignored. He placed the staff into its compliment sheath. Without hesitation, he sprints for the table, wincing but adrenaline in his blood kept him going. Hiccup can sense the emergence of danger before he sees it. Fortunately, the first knife comes whizzing in on his right side so he dodges it better and it deflects it with the staff. Hiccup keeps moving, he's at the table now, his fingers closing over the tiny orange backpack. His hand slips between the straps and he yanks it up on his arm, it's really too small to fit on any other part of his anatomy, and he's turning to make a break for it when the second knife catches him in the forehead. It slices above his right eyebrow, opening a gash that sends a gush running down his face, blinding Hiccup's eye, filling his mouth with the sharp, metallic taste of his own blood. Hiccup staggers backward, reaching for the staff once more for support. But as he takes it out, it's futile when Azula slams into him, knocking him flat on his back, pinning his shoulders to the ground, with her knees.

_This is it, _and Hiccup just hopes for his own sake it will be fast. But Azula means to savor the moment. Even feels she has time. No doubt Daggur is somewhere nearby, guarding her, waiting for Ralph and possibly Jack.

"Where's your boyfriend, District Twelve? Still hanging on?" she asks.

_Well, as long as we're talking I'm alive._ "He's out there now. Hunting Daggur for kissing me," Hiccup snarls at her. Then he screams at the top of his lungs. "Jack!"

Azula jams her fist into his windpipe, very effectively cutting off Hiccup's voice. But her heads whipping from side to side, and he knows for a moment she's at least considering Hiccup's telling the truth. Since no Jack appears to save him, she turns back to the scrawny boy that is her prey.

"Liar," she says with a grin. "He's nearly dead. Isn't he? Or else why would he have let his precious fishbone out in the open to retrieve the pack? You've probably got him strapped up in some tree while you try to keep his heart going. What's in the pretty little backpack? That medicine for Lover Boy? Too bad hell never get it."

Azula opens her jacket. It's lined with an impressive array of knives. She carefully selects an almost dainty-looking number with a cruel, curved blade. "I promised Daggur if he lets me have you, I'd give the audience a good show. But he bargained that he'll at least do you first before I make the fatal blow." Azula rolls her eyes. "honestly, he's just teasing me, though."

Hiccup's struggling now in an effort to unseat her, not wanting to get anywhere near Daggur once more, but it's no use. She's too heavy and her lock on him is too tight. As if to add the torture, she pins down hard on the bad left leg.

"Forget it, fishbone. We're going to kill you. Just like we did your pathetic little ally... what was her name? The one who hopped around in the trees? Vanellope? Well, first Vanellope, then you, and then I think we'll just let nature take care of Lover Boy. How does that sound?" Azula asks. "Now, where to start?"

She carelessly wipes away the blood from Hiccup's wound with her jacket sleeve. For a moment, she surveys his face, tilting it from side to side as if its a block of wood and she's deciding exactly what pattern to carve on it. Hiccup attempts to bite her hand, but she grabs the hair on the top of his head, forcing him back to the ground. "I think..." she almost purrs. "I think we'll start with your mouth. Taffyta was so right about your noise," Hiccup clamps his teeth together as she teasingly traces the outline of his lips with the tip of the blade.

Hiccup won't close my eyes. For Jack's sake. The comment about Vanellope would've has filled him with fury, the idea of someone that reminded him so much of his sister... How much the belittled her life. It gave Hiccup enough fury of his own to think to die with some dignity. As his last act of defiance, he stares her down as long as he can see, which will probably not be an extended period of time, but he will stare her down, he will not cry out. Hiccup will die, in his own small way, undefeated.

"Yes, I dont think you'll have much use for your lips anymore. Want to blow Lover Boy one last kiss?" she asks. Hiccup work up a mouthful of blood and saliva and spit it in her face. She flushes with rage. "All right then. Lets get started."

Hiccup braces himself for the agony that's sure to follow. But as he feels the tip open the first cut at his lip, some great form yanks Azula from his body and then she's screaming. Hiccup's too stunned at first, too unable to process what has happened. Has Jack somehow come to his rescue? Have the Gamemakers sent in some wild animal to add to the fun? Has a hovercraft inexplicably plucked her into the air?

But when he pushes himself up on his numb, lanky arms, he sees it's none of the above. Azula is dangling a foot off the ground, imprisoned in Ralph's arms. He lets out a gasp, seeing him like that, towering over him, holding Azula like a rag doll. Hiccup remembered him as big, but he seems more massive, more powerful than he ever recalls. If anything, he seems to have gained weight in the arena. He flips Azula around and flings her onto the ground.

When he shouts, Hiccup jumps, never having heard him speak above a mutter. "What'd you do to that little girl? You kill her?"

Azula is scrambling backward on all fours, like a frantic insect, too shocked to even call for Daggur. "No! No, it wasn't me!" The girl was anything but a coward. She was feisty and sadistic. But the massive, fury that was Ralph met the match ten times over.

"You said her name. I heard you. You kill her?" Another thought brings a fresh wave of rage to his features. "You cut her up like you were going to cut up this kid here?"

"No! No, I-" Azula sees the stone, about the size of a small loaf of bread in Ralph's hand and loses it. "Daggur!" she screeches. "Daggur!"

"Azula!" Hiccup hears Daggur's answer, but he's too far away, the brunette can tell that much, to do her any good. What was he doing? Trying to get Tigerface or Jack? Or had he been lying in wait for Ralph and just badly misjudged his location? Ralph brings the rock down hard against Azula's temple. It's not bleeding, but Hiccup can see the dent in her skull and he knows that shes a goner. Hiccup felt sorry now, it was the worst kind of death. Being able to feel you last bit of life slip by. A slow death. There's still life in Azula now, though, in the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the low moan escaping her lips.

When Ralph whirls around on him, the rock raised, Hiccup knows it's no good to run. He doesn't even bother to reach for his knife. He's trapped in the glare of his strange golden brown eyes. "What'd she mean? About Vanellope being your ally?"

"N-not me," Hiccup choked out, he knew it would probably do him good if he lied about it. But he wasn't gonna try to save himself through that off chance. "Ja-Jack... He... they teamed up. Blew up the supplies. He tried to save her, he did, he told me. But another Light got there first. District One," Maybe if he knows about the alliance, he won't choose some slow, sadistic end for Hiccup.

"And he killed him?" he demands. "Your boyfriend?"

"Yes... No... I mean, no he's not my b-boyfriend..." Hiccup would've blushed if he wasn't too busy being pale by the prospect of almost coming close to death. "But y-yes, he killed him. And buried her in flowers," Tears spring in his green eyes. The tension, the pain in his leg, his bleeding forehead, and his fear of Ralph, and the moaning of the dying girl a few feet away.

"In flowers?" Thresh says gruffly. "were they colorful? She likes them that way,"

"Probably, yes." Hiccup managed. What a laugh, it must be, to be conversing this way with your killer. "Your district... they sent us bread." His hand reaches up but not for a weapon or defense, just to wipe his nose. "Do it fast, okay, Ralph?"

Conflicting emotions cross Ralph's face. He lowers the rock and points at Hiccup, almost accusingly. "Just this one time, I let you go. For the little girl. Because of your boyfriend. You and me, we're even then. No more owed. You understand?"

Hiccup nods because he does understand. Jack said it himself. About owing. About hating it. About him understanding that if Ralph wins, he'll have to go back and face a district that has already broken all the rules to thank them, and he is breaking the rules to thank them, too. And Hiccup understood that, for the moment, Ralph is not going to smash in my skull. It seems as if Jack's love really did save him in the arena.

"Azula!" Daggur's voice is much nearer now. Hiccup can tell by the pain in it that he sees her on the ground.

"You better run now, Fishbone," says Ralph.

Hiccup doesn't need to be told twice. He flips over, adjusting the staff, and his feet dip into the hard-packed earth as he scrambles away from Ralph and Azula and the sound of Daggur's voice. Only when he reaches the woods does he turn back for an instant. Ralph and both large backpacks are vanishing over the edge of the plain into the area he's never seen. Daggur kneels beside Azula, sword in hand, begging her to stay with him. In a moment, he will realize it's futile, she can't be saved. Hiccup crashes into the trees, repeatedly swiping away the blood that's pouring into his eye, fleeing like the wild, wounded creature he was. After a few minutes, Hiccup hears the cannon and he knows that Azula has died, that Daggur will be on one of their trails. Either Ralph's or Hiccup's. He's seized with terror, weak from his head wound, shaking. But one thing occured to Hiccup, only one thing calms him down. Ralph has Daggur's backpack containing the thing he needs desperately. If Hiccup had to bet, Daggur headed out after Ralph, not Hiccup.

Still the brunette doesn't slow down when he reaches the water. He plunges right in, boots still on, and flounder downstream. He takes off a glove and press the cloth into his forehead, trying to staunch the flow of blood, but they're soaked in minutes. Somehow he makes it back to the cave. Hiccup squeezes through the rocks. Toothless stirs from his nap, bounding towards his master. But the brunette ignores him for a moment. He can see Jack, his skin blackened except for his neck and head. The slow rise and fall of the older male's chest was enough indication that he was still alive, though. In the dappled light, Hiccup pulls the little orange backpack from his arm, cut open the clasp, and dump the contents on the ground. A small cube containing a balm for wounds. And one slim box containing one fearling curing syringe. Without hesitating, he jams the needle into Jack's arm and slowly press down on the plunger.

Hiccup's hands go to his head and then drops to Jack's lap, slicking it with blood. The last thing he remembers is flashes of black fading back to white, then he's out cold.

**A/N: Too fast huh? Review please and read the last chapter of slumber once more! And leave a review without being logged in incase you already reviewed before.**


	16. The Words

**A/N: This chapter is not for the faint hearted. Be ready guys, cause I'm almost sure you'll love this. And I will only be sure if you tell me yourself, capiche? So without furthur ado, chapter 16.**

**The Words**

_**Hiccup squeezes through the rocks. Toothless stirs from his nap, bounding towards his master. But the brunette ignores him for a moment. He can see Jack, his skin blackened except for his neck and head. The slow rise and fall of the older male's chest was enough indication that he was still alive, though. In the dappled light, Hiccup pulls the little orange backpack from his arm, cut open the clasp, and dump the contents on the ground. A small cube containing a balm for wounds. And one slim box containing one fearling curing syringe. Without hesitating, he jams the needle into Jack's arm and slowly press down on the plunger.**_

_**Hiccup's hands go to his head and then drops to Jack's lap, slicking it with blood. The last thing he remembers is flashes of black fading back to white, then he's out cold.**_

**:::::**

The sound of rain drumming on the roof of his house gently pulls Hiccup toward consciousness. He fights to return to sleep though, wrapped in a warm cocoon of blankets, safe at home. He's vaguely aware that his head aches. Possibly he had the flu and this is why he's allowed to stay in bed, when he's suppose to be either down the bakery or the forge, and Hiccup can tell he's been asleep a long time. His mother's hand strokes his cheek and he doesn't push it away as he would in wakefulness, wanting her to know how much he crave that gentle touch. How much he misses her. Then there's a voice, the wrong voice, not his mother's, and he's scared.

"Hiccup," it says. "Hiccup, can you hear me?"

HIs green eyes open and the sense of security vanishes. He's not home, not with his mother. He's in a dim, chilly cave, his bare feet freezing despite the cover, the air tainted with the unmistakable smell of blood. The haggard, pale face of a boy slides into view, and after an initial jolt of alarm, Hiccup feels better. Jack.

"Hey," he says. "Good to see your eyes again."

"How long have I been out?"

"Not sure. I woke up yesterday evening and you were lying next to me in a very scary pool of blood," he says. "I think its stopped finally, but I wouldn't sit up or anything."

Hiccup gingerly lifts his hand to his head and find it bandaged. This simple gesture leaves the boy weak and dizzy. Jack holds a bottle to the brunette's lips and he drinks thirstily. That's when he takes notice of Jack's once again snow white, pristine skin.

"You're better!" Hiccup exclaimed, grinning. But the exclamation was barely a yell in volume.

"Much better. Whatever you shot into my arm did the trick," Jack says. "By this morning, the last remains of black faded back to white."

Jack doesn't seem angry about Hiccup's tricking him, drugging him, and running off to the feast. Maybe the brunette's just too beat-up and he'll hear about it later when he's stronger. But for the moment, he's all gentleness.

"What did you put on my head?"

"The balm I assume came with the syringe. Put them on the injuries at your leg, too. When I checked five minutes before you woke, they were practically gone, leaving scars here and there," Jack shrugged.

Hiccup nods, "Thanks... Oh, did you eat?" he asks.

"I'm sorry to say I gobbled down three pieces of groosling before I realized it might have to last a while. Don't worry, I'm back on a strict diet,"

"No, its good. You need to eat. We'll go hunting soon,"

"Not too soon, all right?" he says. "I want to take care of you for a while. My turn to play nurse."

Hiccup's doesn't really seem to have much choice. Jack feeds him bites of groosling and raisins and makes him drink plenty of water when Toothless finally decided to show up, bounding up and nuzzling the brunette's hand. Jack rubs some warmth back into his feet, being gentle with the left most, and wraps them in his jacket before tucking the sleeping bag back up around Hiccup's chin.

"Your boots and socks are still damp and the weather's not helping much," he says. There's a clap of thunder, and they see lightning electrify the sky through an opening in the rocks. Rain drips through several holes in the ceiling, but Jack's built a sort of canopy over his head, an upper body by wedging the square of plastic into the rock above Hiccup.

"I wonder what brought on this storm? I mean, who's the target?" says Jack.

"Daggur and Ralph, I'd bet," Hiccup answers without thinking. "Tigerface will be in her den somewhere, and Azula... she cut me and then..." His small voice trails off. Toothless cuddled up to Hiccup in comfort.

"I know Azula's dead. I saw it in the sky last night," Jack finished for him. "Did you kill her?" He didn't sound like he believe it. Not because he thought Hiccup couldn't, mostly because he knew he wouldn't.

"No. Ralph broke her skull with a rock,"

"Lucky he didn't catch you, too," sighs Jack.

The memory of the feast returns full-force and Hiccup feels sick. "He did. But he let me go." Then, of course, he had to tell him. "In your behalf... You and Aster had it right all along, your love did keep me alive..."

Jack blushes, coughing to get some normalcy back in his flusterment. "S-so H-he let you go because he didn't want to owe me anything?" stammers Jack in disbelief.

"Yes. Guess that's one more I owe you more,"

Jack smirks a bit. "Are you trying to keep count?" Hiccup just shrugged. The albino laughs lightly. "Well, don't try. I owe you tons more than you ever will, like the bread, how I never seem to get over owing you for that,"

"The bread? What? From when we were kids?" Hiccup blinks. "I think we can let that go. That was a long ways back, and you paid that one back throughout this whole Nightmare ordeal."

"But you didn't know me. We had never even spoken. Besides, it's the first gift that's always the hardest to pay back. I wouldn't even have been here to do that if you hadn't helped me then, hell, you even brought me back from the dead." Jack pointed out. Then, as an afterthought, he added curiously. "Why did you, anyway?"

"Uhm, thought we established that? We're going back home together, and without me putting much of a fight, we'll need you alive for that."

Jack rolls his eyes. "Not that _brought back from the dead _part, the bread." He added a bit with humor. "But it's nice to know that you're accepting me as your Knight-in-shining-Armor,"

"I never said that,"

"Details, details," Jack waved dismissively. "So, Daggur and Ralph, huh? I guess it's too much to hope that theyll simultaneously destroy each other?"

But the thought only upsets them. "I think we could like Ralph. If circumstances weren't what they were, he'd be our friend back in District Twelve,"

"Then let's hope Daggur kills him, so we don't have to," says Jack grimly. "I definitley wouldn't do it if I could, never mind you."

"I don't want Daggur to kill Ralph at all. I don't want anyone else to die. I know this is absolutely not the kind of thing that victors go around saying in the arena, but hell if I care about that," Hiccup's shoulders shook, feeing a mixture of frustration and fury. Despite his best efforts, Hiccup can feel tears starting to pool in his eyes. "It hurts..."

Jack looks at him in concern. "What is it? Where's the pain?" Although he knew by Hiccup's words it wasn't physical pain.

"I want to go home, Jack," He says plaintively, like a small child.

"You will. I promise," he says, and bends over to give him a kiss. Hiccup felt a fluster of pleasure in his heart. "And thanks to you, I will be, too."

"I want us to go home now,"

"Tell you what. You go back to sleep and dream of home. And you'll be there for real before you know it," Jack spoke tenderly. "Okay?"

"Okay," Hiccup whispers. He yawns, and Toothless, taking the cue, snuggles up to him.

**:::::**

It's evening when Jack wakes Hiccup again. The rain has turned to a downpour, sending streams of water through our ceiling where earlier there had been only drips. Jack has placed the broth pot under the worst one and repositioned the plastic to deflect most of it from the brubette. Hiccup feels a bit better, able to sit up without getting too dizzy, and he's absolutely famished. So is Jack. It's clear he's been waiting for Hiccup to wake up to eat and is eager to get started.

"There's not much left. Two pieces of groosling, a small mishmash of roots, and a handful of dried fruit."

Hiccup stretches, bringing Toothless along as he dragged himself to the older boy. "Should we try and ration it?" He asks.

"No, let's just finish it. The grooslings getting old anyway, and the last thing we need is to get sick off spoilt food," Jack says, dividing the food into two equal piles.

They try and eat slowly, but they were both so hungry they're done in a couple of minutes. Neither stomachs are in no way satisfied.

"Tomorrow's a hunting day," Jack concluded.

"I won't be much help with that," Hiccup sighs. "I've never hunted before. At least, not the way you do. The animals here seem to smart to get caught in snares,"

"Have you seen your snares? They trap any animal. So it's that or the Gamemakers doing somethin' to it, in any case, I'll kill and you cook," Jack offered. "And you can always gather."

Hiccup nodded, and looks about. "The bread they sent us from District Eleven is still warm," He says with a sigh. "Here, chew these." Hiccup hands Jack a couple of mint leaves and pop a few in his own mouth.

"You never really did tell me about those bread," Jack pointed out. "Why you gave 'em to a homeless stranger,"

"You weren't exactly homeless, just look like one,"

"Could you stop diverting the topic and answer? I seriously want to know,"

Hiccup took a moment to think about it. Why? Why... Because..."Because... It'd be murder if I didn't,"

"Murder?"

"We had bread to spare, and I saw you that night," Hiccup said quietly. "You'd definitely die in the cold if you didn't go home soon, but I know you wouldn't. You were desperate for food, going so far as checking the trash bins... I couldn't ignore it,"

"So... You pitied me?" Jack's shoulders slumped dejectedly.

Hiccup blinked and shook his head frantically. "N-no! I also wanted you to live in particular... Even if I didn't know you, I always saw you light up the halls at school. Laughing, having fun... We introverts like watching other people having fun, it's enough to make us smile. If you died that night... Well, I couldn't let that go... District Twelve didn't have much cause to be happy so..." The brunette said softly, Jack's face becoming flush. Hiccup saw. "I should stop talking,"

"No, go on."

"W-well," Hiccup swallowed. "you rarely did that anymore, not after that cave in... But every now and then, I think after you befriended Jamie Bennette, I'd hear you laugh. Softer and quiter than it used to, but it was the same..." He offered a lopsided smile. "... I guess you could say... You had a beckon of hope feel in that laugh."

Jack smiled, pressing his lips against Hiccup's cheek, letting it linger. "I could say the same about you,"

Unaware, they ended up snuggling into each other for warmth and security, as the night grew dark. It's hard to even see the projection in the sky, but it's clear enough to know there were no more deaths today.

"So Daggur and Ralph haven't had it out yet."

"Where did Ralph go? I mean, whats on the far side of the circle?" asked Jack.

"As far as I saw, a field. It's full of grasses as high as my shoulders. I don't know, maybe some of them are grain. There are patches of different colors. But there are no paths,"

"I bet some of them are grain. I bet Ralph knows which ones, too," Jack says.

"Did you go in there?"

"No. I doubt anyone really wanted to track Ralph down in that grass. It has a sinister feeling to it. Every time I look at that field, all I can think of are hidden things. Snakes, and rabid animals, and quicksand," Jack shrugged. "There could be anything in there."

"Still," Hiccup had to shrug, letting Toothless wriggle out between them to find some fish. "Maybe there is some decent food source there. Maybe that's why Ralph looks better fed now than when we started the Games."

"Either that or he's got very generous sponsors," says Jack. "I wonder what we'd have to do to get Aster to send us some more food, so we wouldn't need to risk going out yet."

This question brings a thought to Hiccup. _One kiss equals one pot of broth._ Well, Jack was all right now. Sure, the brunette wasn't eager of leaving the relative safety of their cave, but the need to keep Jack alive wasn't as urgent to rely on that egg-painting man. The fact that Jack was back to his snow white self brought a smile to Hiccup's face. Jack really was going to make it back with him. For that, he was happy. And Hiccup felt that happiness was more than just simply being able to go back with a friend. Much more. The brunette reaches out and take the albino's hand. Jack blinked, looking down at the scrawny hand enveloping his.

"Well, he probably used up a lot of resources helping me knock you out," The brunette says mischievously.

Jack scrunched up his nose. "Yeah, about that," says Jack, entwining his fingers in Hiccup's. "Don't try something like that again."

"Or what?" Hiccup challenged.

"Or... or..." Jack can't think of anything good. "Just give me a minute."

"Whats the problem?" Hiccup says with a grin.

"The problem is we're both still alive. Which only reinforces the idea in your mind that you did the right thing,"

"I did do the right thing,"

"No! Just don't, Hiccup!" Jack's grip tightens, hurting Hiccup's hand unintentionally, and there's real anger in his voice. "Don't die for me. You won't be doing me any favors. All right?"

Hiccup's startled by his intensity. Then he frowns. "M-maybe I did it for myself, Jack, did you ever think of that? Maybe you aren't the only one who... who worries about.. what it would be like if..." He fumbles. He's not as sure with words as Jack. And while Hiccup was talking, the idea of actually losing Jack hits him again and he's realized how much he does feel for the boy.

"If what, Hic?" The albino teen spoke softly.

Hiccup wished he could pull the shutters closed, blocking out this moment from the prying eyes of Burgess. Whatever he's feeling, it's no ones business but mine. "Jack?"

"Hm?"

"Lean closer, I don't want them to hear," The brunette blushes, heart pounding hard against his chest like it wanted out. He almost couldn't breathe.

Jack obliges, his own heart beating like drums. "Okay... I'm listening..." He didn't want to expect. _But what if... Just what if..._

"I-I... Jack, I might-" Hiccup swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to get past the lump in his throat. "I... can't..." Jack's heart dropped in defeat for that moment. "I... can't get those words out..."

_W-words? _Jack's heart was seriously hammering against his chest now. He lets out a shaky breath, taking Hiccup's hands with one of his cold ones, the other cupping the brunette's left cheek. The one where the bruise used to be, the first part of the boy he kissed. "Then I'll have to draw it out myself," he whispers, and moves in to Hiccup.

This is the first kiss that they're both fully aware of. Neither of them hobbled by sickness or pain or simply unconscious. Their lips neither burning with fever or icy cold. This is the first kiss where Hiccup actually feels and understand the stirring inside his chest. Warm and curious. This is the first kiss that makes him want another.

Desperately want the other boy.

It wasn't like their previous first kiss, where there was a passion burning. But it was soft, affecftionate. Full of feeling.

And the words get out.

"I love you," Hiccup whispers tenderly. Sincerely, as always. "I love you, Jackson Overland." he repeated quietly, so only one person would hear it. The person that needed to hear it. The one person that mattered.

Jack felt elation wash over him the highest point possible, and practically tackles the brunette in a fierce hug, laughing in pure bliss. "I LOVE YOU, HAMISH HADDOCK!"

Toothless cocked his head in confusion when the two boys' lips locked once more, lost in their world. A Parachute going unnotice.

**A/N: I should totally get props for that. Please review the new and hopefully improved last chapter of SLUMBER without being logged in since you can't review if you already did. So... Too fast? Hope you guys don't mind. This is a HiJack, so no need to beat around the bush right?**


	17. The Love and Pain

**A/N: School's my enemy now. Keeping me away from HiJack. T_T I'm not a pervert. After reading this, you'll know why I said this.**

**The Love and Pain**

_**"I love you," Hiccup whispers tenderly. Sincerely, as always. "I love you, Jackson Overland." he repeated quietly, so only one person would hear it. The person that needed to hear it. The one person that mattered.**_

_**Jack felt elation wash over him the highest point possible, and practically tackles the brunette in a fierce hug, laughing in pure bliss. "I LOVE YOU, HAMISH HADDOCK!"**_

_**Toothless cocked his head in confusion when the two boys' lips locked once more, lost in their world. A Parachute going unnotice.**_

**:::::**

The albino pulled his lips away from the brunette for one second, before bringing them out, his tongue probing, asking for permission, biting down the brunette's lower lip gently. Forget never kissing since the brunette, he had half a mind of instincts to know what to do. Hiccup moaned, granting access as the older boy enthusiastically explored the cavern that was his mouth, and the younger boy felt a chill run down his spine. A good kind of chill. Jack still can't get over the fact that Hiccup actually returned his feelings, that Hiccup was breathing his name seductively, that Hiccup made such sexy sounds. It was too much to grasp all at once. Like someone abruptlly doused him ice cold water without warning. From the moment they were chosen as Lights at the Reaping, to the day he stepped into the arena, knowing that only one of them can live, he never once did he consider the possibility of having the adorable brunette for himself. Sure, the younger male knew about his feelings, and he was already more than glad that he didn't shun him. So this sudden change was more than he ever expected in his lifetime.

Not that he was complaining. He could get used to this new change.

"_Mrow!_"

"OW!"

"Toothless!"

Therefore thinking the moan was out of pain, said feline scratched at Jack's hand, and afterwards, nestling himself in his master's arm territorially. Jack scowled at the feline, Toothless hissed back, and Hiccup could only sigh, beet red. He was sad the kiss was interrupted, but he didn't complain. He needed time to calm down lest he'd die due to heart attack. And it'd be silly, if he ended up in Jack's list of kills.

"Sorry... About that," The brunette bit his lip, petting Toothless, trying to get him to calm down. "He's... Protective."

"You coulda mentioned that upfront," Jack scowled one last time to the cat, one more hiss, before letting it drop. "Be grateful he isn't Emma's cat, Buttercup, or I would've cooked him for interrupting our hot, steamy first kiss."

Hiccup blushed, not looking at Jack. "I-I thought we already ha-had a first kiss..." _Gods! I can't even look at him without stuttering! Damn, when did he get so freakin' handsome? _

"Well," Jack smiled sheepishly, taking Hiccup's hand. "This is the first kiss after you told me you love me back, it's worth a similar title..."

Hiccup chuckled timidly. "Wow, I didn't think you were such a romantic..." then suddenly he raised a brow. "You'd cook a cat? WHY?" The idea made him think of Snoutlout. "That's awful."

_Well, _Jack huffed. _Didn't that just ruin the atmosphere? _"Have you _seen _our cat?"

"Well, no."

"You'd know _WHY_ if you had, it's no Toothless." Jack scoffed.

Hiccup then made a face. "And Jack," he pouted. "really? Hot, steamy first kiss or are you trying to describe a bowl of soup?"

"If we're talking about a real, freakin' awesome soup and not just some mice concoction, then it can apply," Jack grinned, pulling Hiccup to sit on his lap.

The brunette yelped. "Jack, c'mon!" He hissed. "I'm not playing the girl in this relationship!" He squirmed. Toothless jumped off.

Jack's heart fluttered at Hiccup's acknowledgment that they were now in a relationship. This had to be the best day ever. "Relationship, huh?" He nuzzled the brunette's neck, sending chills down the said brunette's spine once more. "So, that mean I can call you my boyfriend?"

The smaller male blushed, but huffed indignantly. "If I say yes, would you let me sit on the cave floor?"

"Sure,"

"Then yes,"

Jack didn't let go as Hiccup moved to be let down.

Hiccup scowled. "LIAR!"

"I'd never lie to the one I love," Jack said dramatically. "Besides, you asked if I _would, _not if I _will_. You're clever, you'd know the difference."

Before Hiccup could make a furthur arguement, he blinked, seeing something. "Jack, look, it's a parachute."

"Nice try, Hic." Jack squeezed him tightly against him. "I've been crushing on you for forever. It'll take a lot more than that to make me let go of you now."

Hiccup growled. "Jack, you ass, I'm serious! If you'd just look..."

Jack sighed. But instead of letting the brunette go like said brunette expected, he half-carried, half-dragged the adorable male to reach for the parachute that was, indeed, there. "Wonder what's in it,"

"Hey, there's the new thing the humans invented Jack," Hiccup snorted. "It's called _opening._"

Jack narrowed his eyes at the boy, smirkng. "Smartass," he said adoringly. He finally decided to put the boy down and open whatever was in the pack. He raised a brow as he saw something rubber that look like a corn, and something foreign in a plastic packet. "Okay, is the corn Aster's idea of a joke? Can't he get us some real food?" He questioned. "And what's this circle stuff?"

Hiccup cocked his head, before seeing a slip of paper. "Jack," he pointed at it. "think it came with instructions, uhm, it says condoms and dildos."

Jack saw the slip and picked it up, and he began to read. Then his eyes turned unbelievably wide, his cheeks beet, strawberry red. He stared at Hiccup and practically choke seeing the items on the brunette's hands as he looked at them curiously.

"NOO!"

Jack snatched the items from Hiccup, who practically yelled at the intensity and volume of the albino's exclamation, and he watched in befuddlement as Jack started a fire far enough from the cave's mouth and burned the mysterious items.

"Jack?" Hiccup blinked, seeing the fluid dripping from Jack's face, he gawked. "Your nose is bleeding!"

"I KNOW!" Jack growled. "That Aster... Oh I'd love to give him a pieace of my mind..." He wiped at his nose, feeling hard. _THAT TOTALLY WASN'T FUNNY! Nevermind I'm not ready nor is Hiccup, that WON'T be for anyone's entertainment!_

"Okay, well," Hiccup raised a brow. At least whatever those items were didn't smell. "That was completely normal... What were they?"

Jack changed topic. "I think your wound is bleeding again. Come on, lie down, it's bedtime anyway," he says.

"Jack-"

"Bed time!"

Hiccup decided he wasn't gonna be told the answer. "My socks are dry enough to wear now." He makes Jack put his jacket back on. The damp cold seems to cut right down to the brunette's bones, so he must be half frozen.

He insists on taking the first watch, too, although neither of them think it's likely anyone will come in this weather even with the fire Jack started. In any case his _**boyfriend**_ won't agree unless he's in the bag, too, and the brunette's shivering so hard that it's pointless to object. In stark contrast to two nights ago, when Hiccup and Jack were a little less than lovers, but a little more than friends, he's struck by the intimacy now. As they settle in, Jack pulls Hiccup's head down to use his snow white arm as a pillow, the other rests protectively over the younger boy even when the older goes to sleep. No one has held the brunette like this in such a long time. It wasn't Val, but Jack's arms have made Hiccup feel this safe.

With the aid of the glasses, Hiccup lies watching the drips of water splatter on the cave floor. Rhythmic and lulling. Several times, he drifts off briefly and then snap awake, guilty and angry with himself. After three or four hours, he can't help it, he has to rouse Jack because he can't keep his eyes open. He doesn't seem to mind.

Hiccup snuggles up to Jack for security and warmth, waiting for a hopeful tomorrow.

**:::::**

But tomorrow is no better in terms of weather. The deluge continues as if the Gamemakers are intent on washing the Lights all away. The thunder's so powerful it seems to shake the ground. Jack's considering heading out anyway to scavenge for food, but Hiccup tells him in this storm it would be pointless. He won't be able to see three feet in front of his face and he'll only end up getting soaked to the skin for his troubles. Jack knows Hiccup's right, but the gnawing in their stomachs is becoming painful. Toothless's hauls from the pond barely suffices. When the feline got tired of fishing, he went for a nap.

The day drags on turning into evening and there's no break in the weather. Aster is their only hope, but nothing is forthcoming, either from lack of money since everything will cost an exorbitant amount or upset about Jack burning the items from yesterday.

"Are you sure it was necessary to burn those-?"

"COMPLETELY!"

"And the corn wasn't food at all?"

"Definitely."

"Then what-"

"Am not telling,"

"Jack-" Hiccup was finally silence by a hard kiss to the lips. "All right, shutting up."

Their condition wasn't very appealing even if they were healed. Starving, weak from injuries, trying not to reopen wounds. They're sitting huddled together wrapped in the sleeping bag, yes, but mostly to keep warm. The most exciting thing either of them does is nap.

To give their mouths something to do aside from chattering and, yes, kissing because they didn't want it to be overrated, Hiccup got Jack into talking.

"Jack," He says lightly. "You said at the interview you'd had a crush on me forever."

"Uh-huh,"

"But before then, you had a crush on your best friend... Jamie Bennette, right?"

"Mm-hm,"

"Then you said he had nothing on me,"

"All true."

Hiccup scrunched up his nose. "Why?"

"Why what?" Jack raised a brow.

"Why would you think that?" Hiccup clarified. "Compared to him, I'm really not much to look at."

Jack grinned. "Do I detect jealousy?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "I'm serious," he scowled, nudging the boy who in turn just laughed. "come on. You barely knew me till the Games. He's your best friend. Not to mention pretty popular, good looks, able to feed mouths, muscular..."

"Yeah, I definitely detect jealousy... But I think it's mine," Jack pouted, squeezing the boy around his waist. "I only want you praising me, got it?"

Hiccup smirked. "Territorial, aren't you?"

Jack kissed both his cheeks. "You have no idea, you're mine now." he gave a smack him on the lips. "and I don't plan on sharing," he ran his fingers along the unkempt hair.

Hiccup sighed appreciatively, leaning into the touch. _Gods, _he thought. _how it ever took me this long to realize I love him is beyond me... "_Well, you got nothing to worry about. Competition-wise, can't say the same about myself though."

"Huh?"

"Duh Frostbite," Hiccup rolled his eyes. "you may not have as much as Jamie, but girls fawn over you, too. Imagine all the hearts you broke that night at the interview!"

Jack laughed once. "I think I can handle a little guilt over heart breaks," he rested his head on Hiccup's shoulder. "So long as I don't break yours." he said tenderly. "I meant it, Hic. As far as I'm concerned, no one's got anything on you."

Hiccup bit his lip shyly, cheeks flush. He never thought anyone would think so much of him. This was overwhelming... But it was also nice. "When did you know for sure? That you liked me?" he asked softly. "was it the bread?"

"I've noticed you from school before then," Jack answered, shrugging. "the bread made me look your way longer. Then for the next couple of years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you."

"Without success," Hiccup smiles coyly.

"Without success. So, in a way, our names being drawn in the reaping was a real piece of luck, of course I didn't think that at first." Jack chuckled. "But... It's really the leaves that drove the point home." As he expected, Hiccup gave him a questioning look. Jack laughed. "It was after the incident. I turned away from the weal on your face, and there they were. You're aware of autumn, right? Even if we had snow all year round, the leaves still change colors."

Hiccup nodded, still confused though.

"The green leaves fading to the color of Autumn, falling off the trees to covered eventually by the thickness of more snow at the bittercold Winter, until it melts away with the rebirth of a hopeful Spring," Jack spoke tenderly, and with feeling. "Hope for change. After my father died... Without those breads... without _YOU_, I'd never known about that. That in change, no matter how hard... There would always be hope." He brush some brown locks off Hiccup's forehead. "...And now, no matter ho bad these games get, I'll have you."

Hiccup's foolishly happy. He embraced Jack, nuzzling his neck fondly. "You have a... remarkable memory," _Nice Hiccup, way to respond to a heartfelt affection..._

"I remember everything about you, you're the one who wasn't paying attention."

"I am now, if it's any consolation,"

Jack smiled, tilting Hiccup's head with the knuckle of his index finger. Their lips gravitated to each other's. Their lips have just barely touched when the clunk outside makes them jump. Jack's spear comes up, but there's no other sound. Hiccup peers through the rocks and then gives a whoop. Before Jack can stop him, the brunette flies out in the rain, then runs back, tossing something in to Jack's hands. A silver parachute attached to a basket. The albino rips it open at once and inside there's a feast: Fresh rolls, goat cheese, apples, lamb stew, and for their beloved feline, a delicous Icelandic cod. The very dish Hiccup told Roxanne Richie was the most impressive thing Berk had to offer.

Hiccup wriggles back inside, his face lit up like the sun. "I guess Aster finally got feelings enough watching us starve."

"I guess so," Jack smirked weakly, all the while thinking how he relieve he is that it wasn't a repeat items of yesterday.

~o~

Every cell in Jack's body wants him to dig into the feast and cram it, handful by handful into his mouth. But Hiccup's voice stops him.

"We better take it slow on that stew. Remember the first night on the train? The rich food made me sick and I wasn't even starving then." Hiccup pointed out.

"You're right. And I could just inhale the whole thing!" Jack says regretfully. But he doesn't.

"Leave the Icelandic cod to Toothless."

They are quite sensible. They each have a roll, half an apple, and an egg-size serving of stew and rice. Hiccup wakes Toothless from his slumber, and the feline would've complained if not for the fish. The boys made thenselves eat the stew in tiny spoonfuls they were even sent silverware and plates, savoring each bite. When they finish, Jack stares longingly at the dish.

"I want more." Jack sulked.

"Me, too. Tell you what. We wait an hour, if it stays down, then we get another serving," Hiccup says.

"Agreed," But Jack still longs for food. Why Hiccup needed to force feed him days back was a mystery.

"It's going to be a long hour."

"Maybe not that long," grins Jack, scooting over. "What was that you were saying just a few moments back? Something about me... no competition... best thing that ever happened to you..."

"I don't remember that last part," Hiccup blushes.

"Oh, that's right. That's what I was thinking," he says. "Scoot over, I'm freezing."

Hiccup laughed, making room for Jack in the sleeping bag. "Funny. Thought the Frostbite could handle... frostbites," They lean back against the cave wall, the brunette's head on Jack's shoulder, said albino's arms wrapped around scrawny physique. "So, since the leaves, you never even noticed any other guys?"

"No, I noticed just about every guy, but none of them made a lasting impression but you," he says.

Hiccup sighs. "You don't have much taste, you chose a fishbone over them."

Jack snorted, nudging him. "Don't pretend you're not flattered,"

"I thought you said I couldn't lie," Hiccup said. feigning innocence. "Doesn't pretending fall under lying? Now, were you lying to me about that?"

"Har-har, I might just be rubbing off on you," Jack smirks. "You underrate yourself far too much, Hic. Besides, when we get back, you won't be just a fishbone. You'll be the fishbone of Victors's Village."

_That's right. If we win, well each get a house in the part of town reserved for Nightmare Games victors._ Long ago, when the Games began, Berk had built a dozen fine houses in each district. Of course, in theirs only one is occupied. Most of the others have never been lived in at all. A disturbing thought hits Hiccup. "But then, our only neighbor will be Aster!"

"Ah, that'll be nice. You and me and Aster. Very cozy. Picnics, birthdays, long winter nights around the fire retelling old Nightmare Games tales."

"Stop it. I'm the snarky one here. And for that, He hates me!" Hiccup says, but he can't help laughing at the image of Aster becoming his new pal.

"True. Who am I really thinking of? It's Tooth who likes you. On the other hand, Aster... well, if I were you, I'd avoid Aster completely. He hates you. But he hates me more. I don't think people in general are his sort of thing."

The audience will enjoy their having fun at Aster's expense. He has been around so long, hes practically an old friend-relatively speaking-to some of them. By this time, they'll have dragged him out of the control room for interviews about the two boys. No telling what sort of lies he's made up that might be truths. He's at something of a disadvantage because most mentors have a partner, another victor to help them whereas Aster has to be ready to go into action at any moment. Kind of like Jack when he was alone in the arena. Hiccup wonders how he's holding up, with the painting, the attention, and the stress of trying to keep them alive.

It's funny. Aster and the boys don't get along well in person, but there's some sort of thing that connects the three. Their refusal on certain things, perhaps? Then the comment of rebellion a bit ways back after the parade. Maybe there's more to Aster than they realize. A thought hits Hiccup, and he's amazed the questions taken so long to surface. Maybe it's because he's only recently begun to view Aster with a degree of curiosity.

"How do you think he did it?"

"Who? Did what?" Jack asks.

"Aster. How do you think he won the Games?" Hiccup says.

Jack considers this quite a while before he answers. Aster is sturdily built, but no physical wonder like Daggur or Ralph. He's not particularly handsome. Not in the way that causes sponsors to rain gifts on a Light. And he's so surly, it's hard to imagine anyone teaming up with him. There's only one way Aster could have won, and Jack says it just as Hiccup's reaching this conclusion himself.

"He outsmarted the others,"

Hiccup nods, then let the conversation drop. But Jack's beginning to wonder if Aster sobered up long enough to help him and Hiccup because he thought they just might have the wits to survive. Maybe he wasn't always cold and indifferent. Maybe, in the beginning, he tried to help the Lights before the boys. But then it got unbearable. It must be hell to mentor two kids and then watch them die. Year after year after year. Jack realizes that if he and Hiccup gets out of here, that will become his job. To mentor the Lights from District 12. The idea is so repellent, he thrusts it from his mind.

About half an hour has passed before Jack's decided they have to eat again. Hiccup's too hungry himself to put up an argument. Toothless was satisfied with the cod, that he's back to sleep. Lucky feline. While Hiccup's dishing up two more small servings of lamb stew and rice, they hear the anthem begin to play. Jack presses his eyes against a crack in the rocks to watch the sky.

"There won't be anything to see tonight," Hiccup says, far more interested in the stew than the sky. "Nothing's happened or we would've heard a cannon, right?"

"Hic," Jack says quietly.

"What? Should we split another roll, too?"

"Hiccup," the albino repeats, but said brunette finds himself wanting to ignore him.

"I'm going to split one. But I'll save the cheese for tomorrow," Hiccup says. Then, sees Jack staring at him. "What?"

"Ralph is dead," says Jack quietly.

Hiccup choked. "He can't be," he stammered.

"They must have fired the cannon during the thunder and we missed it,"

"Are you sure? I mean, its pouring buckets out there. I don't know how you can see anything," Hiccup pushes Jack away from the rocks and squint out into the dark, rainy sky. For about ten seconds, he catches a distorted glimpse of Ralph's picture and then he's gone. Just like that.

Hiccup slumps down against the rocks, momentarily forgetting about the task at hand.

_Ralph's dead._ _I should be happy, right? One less Light to face. And a powerful one, too. But I'm not happy. _

Neither of the boys were. All they can think about is Ralph letting Hiccup go, letting Jack's beloved one run because of Vanellope, who died with that gash sliced through her stomach.

"You all right?" asks Jack

.

Hiccup gives a noncommittal shrug, shoulders shaking before he lunges himself at Jack's arms, sobbing. The older teen moved his hand in a circular, comforting motion at his back, holding back his own tears. Not of sadness, but fury. He takes Hiccup's hand and rubbed circles around it the same way he had at the interview. Berk could see their grief for all they cared.

"...murder."

The word pulls Jack up short, blinking at his scrawny boyfriend.

"Murder! That's all this is!"

Panic and afraid of what Berk might do, Jack seized Hiccup's lips with a kiss, silencing him. Hiccup was right of course, the Nightmare Games was a bloodbath. An excuse to kill off the Districts' hopes, ruin their lives. But it's dangerous to vocalize what they really thought of it. And Hiccup has done a lot of that already. From the corner of his eye, Jack spots the Nightfury pin on his brunette's jacket.

If worse came to worse, Berk would see Hiccup a bigger threat than the Nightfury ever was.

**A/N: I love this chapter. Review SLUMBER's last chapter again please after having a look.**


	18. The Tiger Sleeps Tonight

**A/N: I think I have about three or four chapters left at most. Thank you for those who have read! Aoshinobi, LuvlyladyLexi, Peris, Anony, and all you others. Hope you keep reading my works.**

**The Tiger Sleeps Tonight**

_**Hiccup slumps down against the rocks, momentarily forgetting about the task at hand. **_

_**Ralph's dead. I should be happy, right? One less Light to face. And a powerful one, too. But I'm not happy. **_

_**Neither of the boys were. All they can think about is Ralph letting Hiccup go, letting Jack's beloved one run because of Vanellope, who died with that gash sliced through her stomach.**_

_**"You all right?" asks Jack**__**.**_

_**Hiccup gives a noncommittal shrug, shoulders shaking before he lunges himself at Jack's arms, sobbing. The older teen moved his hand in a circular, comforting motion at his back, holding back his own tears. Not of sadness, but fury. He takes Hiccup's hand and rubbed circles around it the same way he had at the interview. Berk could see their grief for all they cared. **_

_**"...murder." **_

_**The word pulls Jack up short, blinking at his scrawny boyfriend. **_

_**"Murder! That's all this is!"**_

_**Panic and afraid of what Berk might do, Jack seized Hiccup's lips with a kiss, silencing him. Hiccup was right of course, the Nightmare Games was a bloodbath. An excuse to kill off the Districts' hopes, ruin their lives. But it's dangerous to vocalize what they really thought of it. And Hiccup has done a lot of that already. From the corner of his eye, Jack spots the Nightfury pin on his brunette's jacket.**_

_**If worse came to worse, Berk would see Hiccup a bigger threat than the Nightfury ever was.**_

**:::::**

The albino pulled away from the brunette, comforting him in hush tones. Hiccup understood the need for silence, and settled for simply sobbing on Jack's shoulder. Clenching parts of the older teen's jacket with his fists.

Hiccup choked. "It's just... Ugh," he shook his head. "on the off chance we don't win... I wanted Ralph to win... For sparing me... Because of the girl, too... For Vanellope..."

"Yeah, I know, it's the same for me," whispers Jack. "But this means we're one step closer to District Twelve." He nudges a plate of foot into the scrawny hands. "Eat. Carefully though, It's still warm."

Hiccup takes a bite of the stew to show he doesn't really care, but it's like glue in his mouth and takes a lot of effort to swallow. "...It also means Daggur will be back hunting us. And he's got supplies again," he sighs.

"He'll be wounded, I bet,"

"What makes you say that?"

"Because Ralph would have never gone down without a fight. He's so strong, I mean, he was. And they were most likely in his territory," Jack says. "Ralph wouldn't leave that place,"

"Good," says Hiccup. " The more wounded Daggur is the better."

"I wonder how Tigerface is making out."

"Oh, she's fine," Hiccup says peevishly. He's still miffed she thought of hiding in the Cornucopia and he didn't. "Probably be easier to catch Daggur than her."

"Maybe they'll catch each other and we can just go home," shrugs Jack. "But we better be extra careful about the watches. I dozed off a few times."

"Me, too," Hiccup admits. "But not tonight."

They finish their food in silence and then Hiccup offers to take the first watch. Jack burrows down in the sleeping bag next to him, pulling his hood up over his face, so does Hiccup but only for a moment since he needed to keep watch. They both just needed to hide their faces from the cameras. They just needed a few moments of privacy where they can let any emotion cross their face without being seen. Under the hood, Jack silently says good-bye to Ralph and thank him for sparing Hiccup's life. He promises to remember him and, if he can, do something to help his family and Vanellope's, when they win. Then Jack escapes into sleep, comforted by a full belly and the steady warmth of Hiccup beside him.

**:::::**

When Hiccup wakes Jack later, the first thing the albino register is the smell of goat cheese. He's holding out half a roll spread with the creamy white stuff and topped with apple slices. "Don't be mad," he says. "I had to eat again. Here's your half."

"'s all right," _as if I can every be angry at you, _The feast was the excemption. "Thanks," Jack says, immediately taking a huge bite. The strong fatty cheese tastes just like the kind Emma makes, the apples are sweet and crunchy. "Mm."

"We make a goat cheese and apple tart at the bakery," Hiccup says.

"Bet that's expensive,"

"Too expensive for my family to eat. Unless its gone very stale. Of course, practically everything we eat is stale," says the brunette, pulling the sleeping bag up around him. In less than a minute, he's snoring.

_Huh. I always assumed the shopkeepers live a soft life. Then again, it explains Hiccup's built... Not that I have any complains, _

However, Hiccup has always had enough to eat. Jack knows the baker's wife made sure of it, although not necessarily did she neglect Snoutlout. But there's something kind of depressing about living your life on stale bread, the hard, dry loaves that no one else wanted. One thing about the Overlands, since Jack brings their food home on a daily basis, most of it is so fresh you have to make sure it isn't going to make a run for it.

Hiccup may not be much of a fighter, but he has a lot to say. He didn't need to have lots to eat to develop that, either. Actually, that fact might even give him more to say. Jack hears Jamie's rants all the time, and he was sure his best friend wasn't the only one. He heard a few rants from Snoutlout as well when his father, Spitelout, died the same time his own did. The Guardians dismissed it since they chalked it up to grief, but that didn't change the fact of how true he felt about the injustice. But the Guardians were one thing, the whole of Berk another. And with Hiccup on live TV everywhere, it was far more dangerous.

And that was something that made him anxious.

Somewhere during the albino's shift, the rain stops not gradually but all at once. The downpour ends and there's only the residual drippings of water from branches, the rush of the now overflowing stream below us. A full, beautiful moon emerges, and even without the glasses he can see outside. Jack can't decide if the moon is real or merely a projection of the Gamemakers. He knows it was full shortly before he left home. Jamie and he watched it rise as they hunted into the late hours.

_How long have we been gone?_ Jack's guessing it's been about two weeks in the arena, and there was those weeks of preparation in Berk. Maybe the moon has completed its cycle. For some reason, he badly wants it to be my moon, the same one he sees from the woods around District 12. That he could watch it the same way he does with Jamie with Hiccup, that would give him something to cling to in the surreal world of the arena where the authenticity of everything is to be doubted.

_Four of us left._

For the first time, Jack allows himself to truly think about the possibility that he was gonna make it home with his Hiccup. With fame he wouldn't really care much about. To wealth, he was glad that he now had more time with Emma, and most possibly his boyfriend. He'll still hunt, of course, for the sake of helping Jamie's family. To his own house in the Victors' Village. His mother and Emma would live there with him. No more fear of hunger. A new kind of freedom.

_But then... what?_ What would his life be like on a daily basis? Most of it has been consumed with the acquisition of food. Take that away and he's not really sure who he was, what his identity is. The idea scares Jack some. He thinks of Aster, with all his money. What did his life become? He lives alone, no wife or children, most of his waking hours painting. He doesn't want to end up like that.

"But you won't be alone," Jack whispers to himself. He had his mother and Emma. Well, for the time being. And then... he doesn't want to think about then, when Emma has grown up, Mrs. Overland passed away. But then, there was Hiccup. His forever beckon of hope. Maybe they'll marry, never risk bringing a child into the world. Because if there's one thing being a victor doesn't guarantee, it's their children's safety. His kids names would go right into the reaping balls with everyone else's. And he swears he'll never let that happen.

_Marrying Hiccup, _Jack smiled widely at the thought.

The sun eventually rises, its light slipping through the cracks and illuminating Hiccup's face. Who will he transform into if they make it home? This innocent, yet cynical boy who can make perhaps any changes. But Jack knew there were somne he might not be able to. On a positive note, Nothing will change the fact that they've saved each other's lives in here. And beyond that, he will always be the boy with the bread. They'll be lovers. But on a negative note, nothing can change Berk's treatment. Even when they'll have each other, knowing Hiccup, he'll never be truly happy, having to mentor future Lights, knowing they might not be lucky as they were to make it back alive. Jack didn't think the star-crossed lovers would always make things work out for the others. It wasn't just his Lights, it was all Lights in general. Hiccup will never be truly happy, knowing people are dying for the sake of entertainment.

"But we can't be happy for everything," Jack whispers, even though Hiccup can't hear. "but we'll be happy for what we can,"

Jack scoots over and shake Hiccup's shoulder. His green eyes open sleepily and when they focus on the albino, he pulls him down for a long kiss. The albino blinks, not expecting that.

"Had a good dream," he muttered sleepily. "we were home already,"

Jack smiled and planted a kiss on his forehead. "It's hunting time,"

"All right," Hiccup sat up. "C'mon, we're wasting daylight,"

Jack eyed the way Hiccup's back curved as he stretched appreciatively. "I wouldn't call it wasting," he winked at the boy.

Hiccup blushed as he stirred Toothless from his sleep. That cat didn't hiss this time, half-awake already. "So do we hunt on empty stomachs to give us an edge?"

"Not us," Jack says. "We stuff ourselves to give us staying power."

"Count me in," Hiccup says. But Jack can see he's surprised when he divided the rest of the stew and rice and hand a heaping plate to the yonuger male. "All this?"

"We'll earn it back today," Jack says, and they both plow into their plates. Even cold, it's one of the best things they've ever tasted. Jack abandoned his fork and scrape up the last dabs of gravy with his fingers. Hiccup smirked, raising a brow.

"I think Tooth would say something about manners now,"

"Hey, Tooth. Watch this!" Jack tosses his fork over his shoulder and literally licks his plate clean with his tongue making loud, satisfied sounds. "We miss you, Tooth!" He can imagine the tears in Tooth's eyes, heart softening.

Hiccup covers his mouth with his hand, but he's laughing. "Stop! Daggur could be right outside our cave."

"Scared, Hic?" Jack grabs the hand away. "Don't worry, you've got me to protect you now," he smiles, pulling Hiccup to him.

"Come on," The brunette says in exasperation, extricating himself from his grasp but not before Jack gets in another kiss.

~o~

Once they were packed up and standing outside the cave, their mood shifts to serious. It's as though for the last few days, sheltered by the rocks and the rain and Daggur's preoccupation with Ralph, they were given a respite, a holiday of sorts. Now, although the day is sunny and warm, they both sense they were really back in the Games. Jack hands Hiccup the knife, and he slips it into his belt. Hiccup ties strips of cloth around the albino's bare feet as precaution, and Jack looks over his weapons. The last seven spearheads of the twelve Jack sacrificed three in the explosion, one from the District one boy, another attached on the slot of the staff, made the teen uneasy. He can't afford to lose any more. Toothless stuck by to Hiccup, and Jack just hoped he wouldn't get lost again, hopefully there wasn't a third repeat.

"He'll be hunting us by now," says Hiccup. "Daggur isn't one to wait for his prey to wander by."

"If he's wounded..."

"It won't matter," The brunette breaks in. "If he can move, he's coming."

With all the rain, the stream has overrun its banks by several feet on either side. The trio stops there to replenish their water, the feline drinking directly. Hiccup checks the snares he sets days ago and come up empty. Not surprising with the weather. Besides, they haven't seen many animals or signs of them in this area.

"If we want food, we better head back up to my old hunting grounds,"

"Your call." Hiccup shrugged, "Just tell me what you need me to do,"

"Keep an eye out," Jack says. "Stay on the rocks as much as possible, no sense in leaving him tracks to follow."

Jack walked in the water to cover their tracks completely, but he's not sure Hiccup's leg could take the current. Although the balm have erased the infection, he's leg's still pretty bad. And his forehead must hurt along the knife cut, but after three days the bleeding has stopped. Hiccup wears a bandage around his head though, just in case physical exertion should bring it back.

As they head up alongside the stream, they pass the place where Jack found Hiccup camouflaged in the weeds and mud. One good thing, between the downpour and the flooded banks, all signs of his hiding place have been wiped out. That means that, if need be, they can come back to their cave. Otherwise, Jack wouldn't risk it with Daggur after them.

The boulders diminish to rocks that eventually turn to pebbles, and then, to Jack's relief, they're back on pine needles and the gentle incline of the forest floor. For the first time, the teen realizes they had a problem. Navigating the rocky terrain with a bad leg, well, one's naturally going to make some noise. But even on the smooth bed of needles, Hiccup is loud. As in, loud loud, as if he's stomping his feet or something. Jack turns and look at him.

"What?" Hiccup asks.

"Uhm. You've got to move more quietly, forget about Daggur, you're chasing off every rabbit in a ten-mile radius." Jack says kindly enough.

"Sorry, it's the leg..."

So, they start up again and Hiccup's a tiny bit better, but's still loud enough to make Jack jump. Even if he was hissing, Toothless was quiter.

"Can you take your boots off?"

Hiccup shrugs. "Guess so. As long as we don't climb trees," he says pointedly, and Jack blushes. "that way we'll both be quieter."

_Like I was making any noise._

So they Hiccup stripped off their boots and socks off, carrying them to wear later, not careless to leave them like Jack had. But in the albino's defense, he was in a daze, and there was the need to get away fast. While there's some improvement, Jack could swear Hiccup's making an effort to snap every branch they encounter. Needless to say, although it takes several hours to reach his old camp with Vanellope, Jack's shot nothing. If the stream would settle down, fish might be an option, but the current is still too strong. As they stop to rest and drink water, Jack tries to work out a solution. Preferrably without splitting up, cause then his brunette would be left with only a knife to defend himself against Daggur's swords and superior strength. So what he'd really like is to try and conceal Hiccup somewhere safe, then go hunt, and come back and collect him. But Jack knew his lover's ego isn't going to go for that suggestion.

"Jack," Hiccup sighs dejectedly. "We need to split up. I know I'm chasing away the game.

"Only because your leg's hurt," Jack says generously, "And no, that is not an option. I'm ot leaving you,"

"Jack, be reasonable," he says. "why don't you go on? I can gather."

"Not if Daggur comes and kills you." Jack tried to say it in a nice way, but it still sounds like he thinks Hiccup's a weakling.

Surprisingly, he just laughs. "Look, I can run from Daggur. You said so yourself, I was fast, right?"

"Yeah, and tell me how you're doing that with a bad leg," Jack snorted. "Still no, what if you just hide it out and make sure you and Toothess stay safe?"

"What if you stop being an overprotective boyfriend, and let me gather?" Hiccup says, mimicking said boyfriend's tone. "You gather too if you see any good berries and herbs. I'll be fine. I got Toothless," said feline meowed at his name. "Just don't go far, in case you need help."

"There is no such thing as being _OVER_protective when it comes to you," Jack sighs but gives in relctantly. They do need food, no question. One apple, two rolls, and a blob of cheese the size of a plum won't last long. Nevermind the Icelandic cod that didn't last for ten minutes. "I'll just go a short distance and hope Daggur is a long way off."

Jack tells him about the four puff, three puff smoke signal. Hiccup disagrees, and tells him to whistle four or three times instead. Leaving the brunette with the pack, he heads off.

~o~

Hiccup feels like he's five again, being babied and pampered as much as he can be, but by his adoring boyfriend instead of his mom. It was a tad more embarassing, knowing that he was the straight one before the relationship. _Jack's probably allowing himself twenty, maybe thirty yards of hunting space. _

Away from him though, the woods come alive with animal sounds. He gives out reassuring periodic whistles every now and then, to let Jack allow himself to drift farther away after giving his own whistle, Toothless managed to fish a few despite the current, and Hiccup stashes it in the broth pot. Hiccup sets snares. With Jack's roots, this will be enough for now. As minutes passed, Hiccup realizes they haven't exchanged signals in a while. When his whistle receives no response, Hiccup ups and run, not bothering to see if Toothless followed. In no time, he's back at the place Jack left him with a neat pile of roots and the pack beside them. He whistles again, considering the short distance was enough to make the sound inaudible. Toothless arrives when Hiccup whistles again, and still gets no response.

He pales. "Jack!" He calls out in a panic. "Jack!" Hiccup turns to the rustle of brush and almost sends his knife through him. Same was Jack, as the staff's end replaced to the crook, spearhead on a sling. Fortunately, Jack pulls back the last second and the head sticks in an oak trunk to the brunette's left.

The brunette didn't even jump back, running towards Jack, about to fling himself to the older male's open arms. Then stops short, realizing his fear melted to anger.

"Where were you?!"

"Me?! How about you?! You were supposed to stay here!" Jack huffed. "I found some berries down by the stream! You don't seem to have gotten anything," He looks at the pack. "And you ate the cheese without me?"

Hiccup glared at him. "I didn't! And I happened to have gotten some fis-OH! That's not important! I whistled. Why didn't you whistle back?"

"I didn't hear. The waters too loud, I guess," he says. "Here are the berries, put them in the pile and let's go. This is the last time I'm letting you out of my sight, Hic. I won't lose you again." Then, as an afterthought, to be kind, he adds. "Have some if you like,"

Hiccup would like some, but he doesn't want to relent too soon. He does walk over and look at them though. He's never seen this type before.

_No, I have._

But not in the arena. These aren't Jack's berries he got from Vanellope, although they resemble them. Hiccup leans down and scoop up a few, rolling them between his fingers.

Then, Hiccup remembers what he learned from Training. Another Nightmare Game Norm like the black deathwood that causes fearling disease. They were nightlock. You'd be dead before they reach your stomach. Just then, the cannon fires.

Fear and dread clenches Hiccup's heart, he whips around, expecting his boyfriend to collapse to the ground, but Jack only widens his eyes in alarm. The hovercraft appears a hundred yards or so away. What's left of Tigerface's emaciated body is lifted into the air. They can see the her now untied hair messed and scattered about.

Hiccup should've guessed when Jack mentioned the cheese.

Jack picked Toothless up, and has Hiccup by the arm, pushing him toward a tree. "Climb. Nevermind the deathwood, we're covered. Daggur will be here in a second. We'll stand a better chance fighting him from above."

Hiccup stops him, suddenly calm. "No, Jack, she's your kill, not Daggur's."

"What? I haven't even seen her since I blew up the food," he says. "How could I have killed her?"

In answer, Hiccup embraces Jack, glad and relieved he didn't eat his gathers, and holds out the berries.

**A/N:**_** ~In the arena, the cruel arena, the tiger sleeps tonight~ **_

**My gawd! Almost done! Can you guys believe it?! Going back to Viking and The Frost after this, then release the first chapter of The Crippled Drake. And I'll update twice whenever I do update. One for Catching Frostbite and the other for The Crippled Drake.**


	19. The Mutts

**A/N: Ahh. Answers to unreviewed questions, that is to say, PMs. I had Tigerface killed by Jack because I'm on a strict Hiccup no-kills policy. It's a plot requirement. Not just because I want Hiccup to maintain his purity role, although that's part of it.**

**The Mutts**

_**Then, Hiccup remembers what he learned from Training. Another Nightmare Game Norm like the black deathwood that causes fearling disease. They were nightlock. You'd be dead before they reach your stomach. Just then, the cannon fires.**_

_**Fear and dread clenches Hiccup's heart, he whips around, expecting his boyfriend to collapse to the ground, but Jack only widens his eyes in alarm. The hovercraft appears a hundred yards or so away. What's left of Tigerface's emaciated body is lifted into the air. They can see the her now untied hair messed and scattered about.**_

_**Hiccup should've guessed when Jack mentioned the cheese.**_

_**Jack picked Toothless up, and has Hiccup by the arm, pushing him toward a tree. "Climb. Nevermind the deathwood, we're covered. Daggur will be here in a second. We'll stand a better chance fighting him from above."**_

_**Hiccup stops him, suddenly calm. "No, Jack, she's your kill, not Daggur's."**_

_**"What? I haven't even seen her since the I blew up the food," he says. "How could I have killed her?"**_

_**In answer, Hiccup embraces Jack, glad and relieved he didn't eat his gathers, and holds out the berries.**_

**:::::**

It didn't take a while to explain the situation to Jack. He knew how Tigerface stole the food from the supply pile before he blew it up, how she tried to take enough to stay alive but not enough that anyone would notice it, how she wouldn't question the safety of berries they looked prepared to eat themselves.

"I wonder how she found us," says Hiccup. Then, he sighs, picking Toothless up, incase he'd have the idea to eat the berries. "My fault, I guess, if I'm as loud as you say."

They were about as hard to follow as a herd of cattle, but Jack's not one to voice that out, with his brunette looking painfully guilty yet still irresistibly adorable. "No, she's very clever, Hic."

"Well, she was. Until you outsmarted her... Who would've thought you could, huh?"

Jack scrunched up his nose. "Not on purpose. Doesn't seem fair somehow. I mean, we would have both been dead, too, if she hadn't eaten the berries first." He checks himself. "No, of course, we wouldn't. You recognized them, didn't you?"

Hiccup gives a nod, feeling better. "They call them nightlock. Berk, I mean."

"Even the name sounds deadly," he says. "I'm sorry, Hiccup. Damn, this could've been deathwood all over again. Only this time, there probably wouldn't be a cure, I really thought they were the same ones Vanellope gathered."

"Don't apologize. It just means were one step closer to home, right?" Hiccup wasn't thrilled that one had to die for that, though. But it can't be helped.

"I'll get rid of the rest," Jack says. He gathers up the sheet of blue plastic, careful to trap the berries inside, and goes to toss them into the woods. Then he stops himself.

Hiccup gave him a curious look. "What?"

Jack finds the leather pouch that belonged to the boy from District 1 and fill it with a few handfuls of berries from the plastic. "If they fooled Tigerface, maybe they can fool Daggur as well. If he's chasing us or something, we can act like we accidentally drop the pouch and if he eats them..."

"Then hello District Twelve," says Hiccup, managing a smile. Although not entirely, he didn't really mind if Daggur died. And it was a justifiable reason.

"That's it," Jack grinned, securing the pouch to his belt. He holds out a hand, throwing the pack on his shoulder.

Hiccup takes it, adjusting Toothless in his arms, and they started off, "He'll know where we are now," He said. "If he was anywhere nearby and saw that hovercraft, he'll know we killed her and come after us."

Hiccup's right. This could be just the opportunity Daggur's been waiting for. But even if they run now, there's the meat to cook and their fire will be another sign of their whereabouts. "Let's make a fire. Right now." Jack begins to gather branches and brush.

"Are you ready to face him?" frowns Hiccup.

Jack shrugged. "I'm ready to eat. Better to cook our food while we have the chance. If he knows were here, he knows. But he also knows there's two of us and probably assumes we were hunting Tigerface. That means you're recovered. And the fire means we're not hiding, we're inviting him here. Would you show up?" The albino asked.

"Maybe not." The brunette places Toothless down. "I hope not, too. I'm... scared," he whispers. There's no other way to put it. "Not that I doubt you, Jack, but... The thought of being back... I... In his arms... I..."

Jack didn't let him finish that, grabbing Hiccup's wrist and pulling him in for an embrace, holding onto him tightly. The brunette clutches Jack back the same way. "Not going to happen," he muttered. "not again,"

~o~

Hiccup's a whiz with fires, coaxing a blaze out of the damp wood. But being that he works with them, baking and forging tools, it's a given. In no time, Jack has the rabbits and squirrel he hunted roasting, the roots, wrapped in leaves, baking in the coals. They take turns gathering greens and keeping a careful watch for Daggur, but as Jack anticipated, he doesn't make an appearance.

When the foods cooked, Jack packs most of it up, leaving them each a rabbit's leg to eat as they walk.

The albino wanted to move higher into the woods, climb a good tree, and make camp for the night, but of course, Hiccup resists. "I can't climb like you, Jack, not with my leg, and I don't think I could ever fall asleep fifty feet above the ground."

"It's not safe to stay in the open, Hic," Jack says, then grins. "Don't worry. I can carry you up there, and I'll be sure you won't fall... Well, except harder for me."

Hiccup flushed but scowled. "Can't we go back to the cave?" he asks. "It's near water and easy to defend. We are not having a repeat of Deathwood. No!"

Jack sighs. Several more hours of walking through the woods to reach an area they'll just have to leave in the morning to hunt didn't sound reasonable. But Hiccup doesn't ask for much. He's followed Jack's instructions all day and the older male's sure if things were reversed, he wouldn't make him spend the night in a tree. It dawns on Jack that he wasn't as considerate to Hiccup today. Nagging him about how loud he was, screaming at him over disappearing.

So he leans down and gives him a kiss. "Sure. Let's go back to the cave."

He looks pleased and relieved. "Well, that was easy."

Jack works his spearhead out of the oak, careful not to damage the shaft. These ammos are food, safety, and life itself now.

The boys tosses a bunch more wood on the fire. It should be sending off smoke for a few more hours, although Jack doubted Daggur assumes anything at this point. When the three reaches the stream, Jack sees the water has dropped considerably and moves at its old leisurely pace, so he suggests they walk back in it. Hiccup's happy to oblige and since he's a lot quieter in water than on land, it's a doubly good idea. Toothless... Not so thrilled. It's a long walk back to the cave though, even going downward, even with the rabbit to give them a boost. They're both exhausted by their hike today and still way too underfed. Jack keeps his spear close, both for Daggur and any fish he might see, but the stream seems strangely empty of creatures.

By the time they reached their destination, their feet are dragging and the sun sits low on the horizon. The boys fill up our water bottles, Toothless was fine drinking from the stream earlier, and climb the little slope to their den. It's not much, but out here in the wilderness, it's the closest thing they have to a home. Not to mention it's where they had the step up to their relationship. It will be warmer than a tree, too, because it provides some shelter from the wind that has begun to blow steadily in from the west. Jack sets a good dinner out, but halfway through Hiccup begins to nod off. After days of inactivity, the hunt has taken its toll. Jack orders his brunette into the sleeping bag and set aside the rest of his food for when he wakes. The boy drops off immediately. Jack pulls the sleeping bag up to his chin and kiss his forehead, because he's so grateful that he's still here, not dead by the stream as he'd thought. More than happy he returned his feelings. So glad that he doesn't have to face Daggur alone, even if he will be doing all the fighting. Brutal, bloody Daggur who can snap a neck with a twist of his arm, who had the power to overcome Ralph, who has had it out for Jack since the beginning. He probably had a special hatred for him probably because of Hiccup, as well. Who knows what he'd do if he found about their new development. Jack clenches his spear with one hand, stroking Toothless with the other.

_He's not getting his hands of my Hic again... Not if I have anything to say about it,_

Jack couldn't understand why Daggur would like Hiccup. He always knew Daggur might not be entirely sane, but this was a real brain teaser. Daggur wasn't Jack. He doesn't know Hiccup, hasn't had any marking experience with his brunette. So why? Jack looked over to the sleeping boy, reaching over to run his hand through the brown locks. Of course, Jack saw the brunette's beauty clearer than he sees any cloudless skies. He knew the full value of what Hiccup done for him years back, and a guy like Daggur couldn't know how to appreciate his worth.

_So why did he want him?_

The sky lights up with the seal, and Jack watches Tigerface shine in the sky and then disappear from the world forever. He hasn't said it, but Jack doesn't felt good about killing her, even if it was essential. He can't pretend he'll miss her, but he has to admire her. His guess is if they had given the Lights some sort of test, she would have been the smartest of all of them. If, in fact, they had been setting a trap for her, she'd have sensed it and avoided the berries. It was his own ignorance that brought her downfall. Jack spent so much time making sure he doesn't underestimate his opponents that he's forgotten it's just as dangerous to overestimate them as well.

That brings him back to Daggur. But while Jack thinks he had a sense of Tigerface, who she was and how she operated, he's a little more slippery. Powerful, well trained, but smart? He doesn't know. Not like she was. And utterly lacking in the control Tigerface demonstrated. Jack believed Daggur could easily lose his judgment in a untamed emotional state. Not that he can feel superior on that point. He thinks of the moment he sent the spearhead almost into his own lover's head in his panic.

_Damn! That should never happen again!_

Despite the fatigue in his body, Jack's mind's alert, so he lets Hiccup sleep long past their usual switch. In fact, a soft gray day has begun when he shakes his shoulder. Hiccup looks out, almost in alarm.

"I slept the whole night." The brunette scowled at Jack. "That's not fair, Jack, you should have woken me."

Jack stretches and burrows down into the bag. "I'll sleep now." He rests his head on Hiccup's lap. "Wake me if anything interesting happens."

**:::::**

Apparently nothing does, because when Jack opens his eyes, bright hot afternoon light gleams through the rocks.

"Any sign of our friend?"

Hiccup shakes his head. "No, he's keeping a disturbingly low profile."

"How long do you think well have before the Gamemakers drive us together?" Jack thought about it himself. "Tigerface died almost a day ago, so there's been plenty of time for the audience to place bets and get bored. I guess it could happen at any moment,"

"Yeah, I have a feeling today's the day," Hiccup reached for Jack's hand nervously. Toothless nuzzled his master. Said albino sits up, squeezing back, and looks out at the peaceful terrain. "I wonder how they'll do it."

Jack remains silent. There's not really any good answer.

"Well, until they do, no sense in wasting a hunting day. But we should probably eat as much as we can hold just in case we run into trouble," the older male finally says,

Hiccup packs up their gear while he lays out a big meal. The rest of the rabbits, roots, greens, the rolls spread with the last bit of cheese. The only thing he leaves in reserve is the squirrel and the apple. By the time they're done, all that's left is a pile of rabbit bones. That Toothless manages to scrap remaining meat from. Jack's hands are greasy, which only adds to his growing feeling of grubbiness. Maybe they don't bathe daily in the Seam, but they keep cleaner than the boys have of late. Except for their feet, which have walked in the stream, Jack and Hiccup were covered in a layer of grime.

Leaving the cave has a sense of finality about it. Jack doesn't think there will be another night in the arena somehow. He knows he'll miss it. One way or the other, dead or alive, the games were going to end. Jack gives the rocks a pat good-bye and they head down to the stream to wash up. He can feel his skin, itching for the cool water. He's wondering if they might even be able to give their clothes a quick scrub when they reach the stream.

Or what used to be the stream. Now there's only a bone-dry bed. Hiccup puts his hand down to feel it. Toothless sniffed and pawed it.

"Not even a little damp. They must have drained it while we slept," He sighed.

A fear of the cracked tongue, aching body and fuzzy mind brought on by Jack's previous dehydration creeps into his consciousness. Their bottles and skin are fairly full, but with two drinking and this hot sun it won't take long to deplete them.

"The lake," adds Hiccup. "That's where they want us to go."

"Maybe the ponds still have some," Jack suggests hopefully.

"We can check," The brunette says, but he's just humoring his boyfriend.

Said boyfriend was humoring himself because he knows what they'll find when they return to the pond where he soaked his previouslly burnt leg. A dusty, gaping mouth of a hole. But they make the trip anyway just to confirm what they already know.

"You're right. They're driving us to the lake,"

"Where there's no cover. Where they're guaranteed a bloody fight to the death with nothing to block their view." Hiccup frowns grimly, clutching Jack's arm. "Do you want to go straightaway or wait until the waters tapped out?"

"Let's go now, while we've had food and rest. Let's just go end this thing," he says.

Hiccup nodded. It's funny. They feel almost as if it's the first day of the Games again. That they were in the same position. Twenty-one Lights are dead, but they still have yet to kill Daggur. And really, wasn't he always the one to kill? Now it seems the other Lights were just minor obstacles, distractions, keeping them from the real battle of the Games. Daggur and Jack. And if this were maybe even a life at the Districts, the prize was Hiccup.

But no, the boy waiting beside Jack wasn't a prize to be won. Because Jack already claimed him. And Daggur was just trying to steal him. But he wasn't gonna let that happen.

Jack feels his brunette's scrawny arms wrap around his own.

"Next time we eat, it will be in Berk,"

"You bet it will,"

They stand there a while, locked in an embrace, feeling each other, the sunlight, the rustle of the leaves and Toothless curled up around their feet. Then without a word, they break apart and head for the lake. Jack doesn't care now that Hiccup's footfalls send rodents scurrying, make birds take wing. They have to fight Daggur and Jack would just as soon do it here as on the plain. But he doubts he'll have that choice. If the Gamemakers want them in the open, then in the open they will be. They stop to rest for a few moments under the tree where the Highs, with a captive brunette, trapped him. The husk of the tracker jacker nest, beaten to a pulp by the heavy rains and dried in the burning sun, confirms the location. Jack touches it with the tip of his foot, and it dissolves into dust that is quickly carried off by the breeze. He can't help looking up in the tree where Vanellope secretly perched, waiting to save his life. Tracker jackers. Taffyta's bloated body. The terrifying hallucinations...

"Let's move on," He says, wanting to escape the darkness that surrounds this place.

Hiccup doesn't object. Given the late start to the day, when they reach the plain it's already early evening. There's no sign of Daggur. No sign of anything except the gold Cornucopia glowing in the slanting sun rays. Just in case Daggur decided to pull a Tigerface on them, they circle the Cornucopia to make sure it's empty. Then obediently, as if following instructions, they cross to the lake and fill their water containers. Jack frowns at the shrinking sun.

"We don't want to fight Daggur after dark. There's only the one pair of glasses."

Hiccup carefully squeezes drops of iodine into the water. Toothless takes a drink, then looks for fish. "Maybe that's what he's waiting for. What do you want to do? Go back to the cave?"

"Either that or find a tree." Hiccup frowns at the reply. "But let's give him another half an hour or so. Then we'll take cover,"

They sit by the lake, in full sight. There's no point in hiding now. In the trees at the edge of the plain, they can see the birds flitting about. Bouncing melodies back and forth between them like brightly colored balls. For a while, the boys just close their eyes and listen, mesmerized by the sound of birds and the silence of somewhat artificial nature. Then something begins to disrupt the it. Runs cut off in jagged, imperfect lines. Dissonant notes intersperse with the melody. The birds voices rise up in a shrieking cry of alarm.

They were on their feet, Hiccup wielding his knife, Jack changing the spearhead to a crook, deciding not to throw the actual spear till the final ammo if it comes to that, and he poised to shoot, Toothless's fur bristling, when Daggur smashes through the trees and bears down on them. He has no sword. In fact, his hands are empty, yet he runs straight for the group. Jack's first ammo hits his chest and inexplicably falls aside.

"He's got some kind of body armor!" Hiccup shouts a warning to Jack.

Just in time, too, because Daggur is upon them. Jack braces himself, getting in front of Hiccup to protect him, but Daggur rockets right past them with no attempt to check his speed. They can tell from his panting, the sweat pouring off his purplish face, that he's been running hard a long time. Not toward them after all. From something in fact. But what?

Jack's eyes scan the woods just in time to see the first creature leap onto the plain. As he's turning away, he sees another half dozen join it. Then he's stumbling blindly after Daggur with no thought of anything but to survive.

~o~

_Muttations! No question about it!_

Jack have never seen these mutts, but they're no natural-born beasts. They resemble huge Dragons, but what Dragon lands and then balances easily on its hind legs? What wolf waves the rest of the pack forward with its front claws as though it had a wrist? What Dragons had wings that weren't use for flying? These things Jack can see at a distance. Up close, he's sure their more menacing attributes will be revealed.

Daggur has made a beeline for the Cornucopia, and without question the albino follows him. If he thinks it's the safest place, who was Jack to argue? Besides, even if he could make it to the trees, it would be impossible for Hiccup to outrun them on that leg...

_Hiccup!_

Jack's hands have just landed on the metal at the pointed tail of the Cornucopia when he remembers what he was so stupid enough to forget. His lover! Hiccup's about fifteen yards behind him, hobbling as fast as he can, but the mutts are closing in on him fast. Jack sends an ammo into the pack and one goes down, but there are plenty to take its place.

Hiccup's waving him up the horn, "Go, Jack! Go!"

He's right. Jack can't protect either of them on the ground. He starts climbing, scaling the Cornucopia on his hands and feet. The pure gold surface has been designed to resemble the woven horn that we fill at harvest, so there are little ridges and seams to get a decent hold on. But after a day in the arena sun, the metal feels hot enough to blister his hands.

Daggur lies on his side at the very top of the horn, twenty feet above the ground, gasping to catch his breath as he gags over the edge. Now's was Jack's chance to finish him off. But how can he? When he stops midway up the horn and loads another ammo, just as he's about to let it fly, he hears Hiccup cry out.

Jack twists around and sees he's just reached the tail, and the mutts are right on his heels. Fear and guilt clenches his heart. He was suppose to protect him!

"Climb!" Jack yelled. Because really, that's the best he can do. Hiccup starts up hampered by not only the leg but the knife in his hand. Jack shoots a spearhead down the throat of the first mutt that places its claws on the metal. As it dies the creature lashes out, inadvertently opening gashes on a few of its companions. That's when he gets a look at the claws. Seven inches and clearly razor-sharp.

Hiccup reaches his feet and Jack desperately grabs his arm and pull him into his chest, arms around his waist. "Where's Toothless?!"

"I... Saw him... Disappear into the woods," Hiccup wheezed, but he was calm. "It should be okay. These... Mutts should... be after Lights... Not pets,"

Jack had to take his words for it. Then the albino remembers Daggur waiting at the top and whip around, but he's doubled over with cramps and apparently more preoccupied with the mutts than the boys. He coughs out something unintelligible. The snuffling, growling sound coming from the mutts isn't helping.

"What?" Jack shouts at him despite himself.

"He said, _Can they climb it_?" pants Hiccup, drawing Jack's focus back to the base of the horn.

The mutts are beginning to assemble. As they join together, they raise up again to stand easily on their back legs giving them an eerily human quality. Each has a thick coat, some with scales that are straight and sleek in texture, and the colors vary from dark black to what Jack can only describe as silver blond. There's something else about them, something that makes the hair rise up on the back of Hiccup's neck, but he can't put his finger on it. They put their snouts on the horn, sniffing and tasting the metal, scraping claws over the surface and then making high-pitched howls and roars to one another. This must be how they communicate because the pack backs up as if to make room. Then one of them, a good-size mutt with silky waves of blond colored scales takes a running start and leaps onto the horn. Its back legs must be incredibly powerful because it lands a mere ten feet below us, its pink lips pulled back in a snarl. For a moment it hangs there, and in that moment Hiccup realizes what else unsettled him about the mutts. The blue-eyes nothing like his lover's glowering at him are unlike any beast or animal, any creature he's ever seen. They are unmistakably human. And that revelation has barely registered when he notices the collar with the number 1 inlaid with jewels and the whole horrible thing hits the brunette. The blonde hair, the blue eyes, the number... It's Taffyta.

**:::::**

A scream escapes Hiccup's lips and the volume makes Jack have trouble holding the ammo in place. He's been waiting to fire, only too aware of his dwindling supply of ammos. Waiting to see if the creatures can, in fact, climb. But now, with Hiccup's alarm, even though the mutt has begun to slide backward, unable to find any purchase on the metal, even though Jack can hear the slow screeching of the claws like nails on a blackboard, he almost missed to fire into its throat. Its body twitches and flops onto the ground with a thud.

"Hic?" Jack can feel Hiccup's grip on his arm.

"It's her!" Hiccup gets out.

"Who?" The albino frowned.

Hiccup's head snaps from side to side as he examines the pack, taking in the various sizes and colors.

"The Lights!" The brunette chokes out. The small one with the red scales with black streaks and amber eyes... "Tigerface!" And there, the ashen color and hazel eyes of the boy from District 9 who died when he and Jack struggled for the backpack! And worst of all, "Jack... T-the smallest mutt, with dark glossy black scales, huge brown eyes and a collar that reads 11 in woven straw... And the teeth..." Hiccup swallows, not able to complete his sentence. ..._Teeth bared in hatred._

Jack's own eyes widened in horror. "Vanellope..."

Hiccup's shoulders shook, he hugged himself to keep steady at the audacity of what he was seeing. "W-what did they do to them? H-how could... They... Took... Their freedom... Now... Now their... their own being?!" He was furious.

"You don't think... those could be their real eyes?"

Their eyes are the least of Hiccup's worries. What about their brains? Have they been given any of the real Lights memories? Have they been programmed to hate their faces particularly because they have survived and they themselves were so callously murdered? And the ones Jack actually killed... do they believe they're avenging their own deaths?

Before Hiccup can get this out, the mutts begin a new assault on the horn.

**A/N: Yeah... Those of you who read the book maybe you saw this coming? Those of you who watched the movie might've have not. Those of you who are neither... Just keep being you. At least I can still surprise some of you. But note, Hunger Games not mine.**


	20. The Victors

**A/N: Next chapter is the last! I'm pretty sure, so hang on your feels for the big climax! Get ready for surprises never seen in the movie or book, because really, what point of this being an au if the climax isn't any different? I am so proud of this chapter!**

**The Victors**

_**"The Lights!" The brunette chokes out. The small one with the red scales with black streaks and amber eyes... "Tigerface!" And there, the ashen color and hazel eyes of the boy from District 9 who died when he and Jack struggled for the backpack! And worst of all, "Jack... T-the smallest mutt, with dark glossy black scales, huge brown eyes and a collar that reads 11 in woven straw... And the teeth..." Hiccup swallows, not able to complete his sentence. ...Teeth bared in hatred.**_

_**Jack's own eyes widened in horror. "Vanellope..." **_

_**Hiccup's shoulders shook, he hugged himself to keep steady at the audacity of what he was seeing. "W-what did they do to them? H-how could... They... Took... Their freedom... Now... Now their... their own being?!" He was furious.**_

_**"You don't think... those could be their real eyes?"**_

_**Their eyes are the least of Hiccup's worries. What about their brains? Have they been given any of the real Lights memories? Have they been programmed to hate their faces particularly because they have survived and they themselves were so callously murdered? And the ones Jack actually killed... do they believe they're avenging their own deaths? **_

_**Before Hiccup can get this out, the mutts begin a new assault on the horn. **_

**:::::**

The Mutts have split into two groups at the sides of the horn and are using those powerful hindquarters to launch themselves at the boys. A pair of teeth ring together just inches from Jack's hand and then he hears Hiccup cry out, feels the yank on his body, the heavy weight of his lover and mutt pulling him over the side. If not for the grip on Jack's arm, Hiccup could be on the ground, but as it is, it takes all Jack's strength to keep them both on the curved back of the horn. And more Lights are coming.

"Kill it, Hiccup! Kill it!" Jack's shouting.

"I can't get a hold on the kni-HYYAAARRGGGUH!"

Although Jack can't quite see what's happening, he knows Hiccup must have done at least something, because the thing because the pull lessens. The albino os able to haul him back onto the horn where they drag themselves toward the top where the lesser of two evils awaits.

And Jack realize what Hiccup did. Or at least, couldn't prevent from happening.

"Your left foot! It's gone!" Jack gasped and paled at the gut-wrenching site.

Hiccup winced, biting his lip till it bled to prevent the howl of pain from continuing, simply grasping Jack's arms and hope the pain would ebb eventually. Jack shoved off his jacket and rips off a sleeve, tieing it around the entire leg to at least stop the bleeding.

Daggur has still not regained his feet, but his breathing is slowing and Jack knows soon he'll be recovered enough to come for them, to hurl the boys over the side to their deaths.

Jack arms his sling, but the ammo ends up taking out a mutt that can only be Ralph. Who else could jump so high? The albino feels a moments relief because they must finally be up above the mutt line and he's just turning back to face Daggur when Hiccup's jerked from his side. Panicked and alarmed, he's sure the pack has got him until his blood splatters on Jack's face.

Daggur stands before him, almost at the lip of the horn, holding Hiccup in some kind of headlock, cutting off his air. Between the lost of his leg and bleeding excessively, Hiccup's clawing at Daggur's arm weakly, as if confused over whether it's more important to breathe or try and stem the gush of blood from the his lack of a left foot.

"LET HIM GO!"

Jack aims his weapon with the last spearhead in its slot at Daggur's head, knowing it'll have no effect on his trunk or limbs, which he can now see are clothed in a skintight, flesh-colored mesh. Some high-grade body armor from Berk. Was that what was in his pack at the feast? Body armor to defend against Jack's ammos? Well, they neglected to send a face guard.

Daggur just laughs. "Maim me and he goes down with me."

He's right. If he takes Daggur out and he falls to the mutts, Hiccup is sure to die with him. They've reached a stalemate. Jack can't impale Daggur without killing Hiccup, too. He can't kill Hiccup without guaranteeing the spear in Daggur's brain. They stand like statues, both of the boys seeking an out.

The thought of losing Hiccup was too much to bear, Jack almost threw up. He couldn't lose this. "Damn you, Daggur... You bastard."

"You're the bastard," Daggur scowled. "Hiccup was supposed to be mine when you were suppose to die in that tree, I was gonna fuck him better than you can!"

"Like hell you were!" Jack's face flared with fury. "Why do you want him?! He's nothing to you!"

"None of your damn business why!" Daggur yelled. "Your only business to know is that if I can't have him, then no one can! ESPECIALLY NOT YOU!"

Hiccup could hear the boys figthting about him, but between the pain in his lack of a left leg and gasping for whatever air he could, he barely had enough blood in his veins to pump his brain to think. But he had enough sense of feel in his nerves to feel fingers slipping in his pants from behind, probing his ass at the part where his anus should be.

"He's tight."

The brunette widened his eyes and he gritted his teeth, tears in his eyes, yelling Jack's name as much as he could. Jack could see the hand grope and molestion, his eyes relflected barely contained fury, his muscles are strained so tightly, they feel they might snap at any moment. His teeth clenched to the breaking point. The mutts go silent and the only thing he can hear is the blood pounding.

Hiccup's lips are turning blue. If he doesn't do something quickly, he'll die of asphyxiation and then Jack will have lost him and Daggur will probably use his body as a weapon against him. In fact, the albino's sure this is Daggur's plan because while he's stopped laughing, his lips are set in a triumphant smile.

As if in a last-ditch effort, Hiccup raises his fingers, dripping with blood from clutching his leg earlier, to point down to Daggur's own foot, where the tip of his right foot was tapping it. Instead of trying to wrestle his way free, his draws a blood X to specific point. It won't kill Daggur, but it would give him distraction enough for the brunette to shove him away and off the Cornucopia. It was risky, but Jack had to trust his boyfriend. Daggur realizes what it means exactly one second after Jack does. The albino can tell by the way the smile drops from his lips. But it's one second too late because, by that time, his spear is piercing his foot. He cries out and reflexively releases Hiccup who collapses next to the spear still impaled on the surface, grabbing on to it as tightly as he could and Jack charges to slam Daggur off the top.

For a horrible moment, there was a miscalculation as Daggur loses his footing on the blood-slick horn and plummets to the ground, Jack hears him hit the horn, the air leaving his body on impact, and then the mutts attack him, Hiccup's heavy pained, similar blood-slick body was slipping too. And the spear falls too because of the weight, and they both rolled off. Hiccup yelped, losing hold of the spear as they both fell.

"HICCUUUUP!" Jack cried out in dismay, tears rolling down his cheeks.

**:::::**

Then it happened. An onyx, jet-black body mass made a nosedive, catching the brunette in its claws the way it did weeks back, at the balcony during training.

The Nightfury! Saving Hiccup from falling to his death, for the second time.

Hiccup barely had enough senses to register what just happened before he was back in Jack's desperate arms, the Nightfury giving the brunette a headbutt before launching a blast to the mutts, seeing them as a threat even though they were attacking Daggur. It jumped down, trying to reason with his brethrens when he realize they weren't really his kind. And since they weren't, they focused only at their task at hand. Then a loud sound was heard. Not a cannon. And in the next moment, the Nightfury takes off to the air. The boys watched it go and sees it almost out of sight in the skies, before it was hit somewhere near its tail. It gave a piercing cry before it plummets.

Hiccup gasped, grasping Jack's arms. The pain in his left leg ignored for the moment. "JACK! It's down! We have to help it!"

"We can't! Never mind it's too far, the mutts are still down there!"

Hiccup's is still wide-eyed when he registers Jack's reasoning, and had no choice but to let it be for now. The albino and brunette holds on to each other, waiting for the cannon, waiting for the competition to finish, waiting to be released. But it doesn't happen. Not yet. Because this is the climax of the Nightmare Games, and the audience expects a show. And the Nightfury temporarily forgotten.

**:::::**

Hiccup doesn't watch, but he can hear the snarls, the growls, the howls of pain from both human and beast as Daggur takes on the mutt pack. He can't understand how he can be surviving until he remembers the body armor protecting him from ankle to neck and heI realizes what a long night this could be. Daggur must have a knife or sword or something, too, something he had hidden in his clothes, because on occasion there's the death scream of a mutt or the sound of metal on metal as the blade collides with the golden horn. The combat moves around the side of the Cornucopia, and he knows Daggur must be attempting the one maneuver that could save his life to make his way back around to the tail of the horn and rejoin the two above. But in the end, despite his remarkable strength and skill, he is simply overpowered.

The boys doesn't know how long it has been, maybe an hour or so, when Daggur hits the ground at last and they hear the mutts dragging him, dragging him back into the Cornucopia.

_Now they'll finish him off, _Hiccup thinks. But there's still no cannon.

Night falls and the anthem plays and there's no picture of Daggur in the sky, only the faint moans coming through the metal beneath Jack and Hiccup. The icy air blowing across the plain reminds them that the Games are not over and may not be for who knows how long, and there is still no guarantee of victory.

Jack turns his attention to Hiccup and discover his leg is bleeding as badly as ever, his former Jacket sleeve covered with it. All their supplies, their packs, remain down by the lake where they abandoned them when they fled from the mutts. Hiccup's face is gray in the pale moonlight. Jack makes him lie down before he probes his wound. Warm, slippery blood runs over his fingers. He takes his other sleeve, shuddering at the cold night air on his now both exposed arms, and replaces the other. But it won't be enough for long. Hiccup may have ended up losing his leg but that was nothing compared to the pain in Jack's heart if he also lost his life.

"Don't go to sleep," Jack pleads. He's not sure if this is exactly medical protocol, but he's terrified that if his lover drifts off he'll never wake again.

Hiccup nodded, teeth chattering. "Are you cold?" he asks. He unzips his jacket and Jack presses against him as he fastens it around them both as much as he can. It's a bit warmer, sharing their body heat inside , but the night is young. The temperature will continue to drop.

Even now Jack can feel the Cornucopia, which burned so when he first climbed it, slowly turning to ice.

"Daggur may win this thing yet," Jack whispers to Hiccup.

Hiccup shook his head. "There's still you, I may bleed to death, but you'll be fine."

"Don't you believe it," Jack scowls, "I'm not living if you're not," He says stubbornly, pulling up Hiccup's hood, but he's shaking harder than he was.

The next hours are the worst in Hiccup's life, which if you think about it, is saying something. The wails, the cry of agony, the snarls of anger and hatred. He begins to doze off, wanting to escape the noise of agony, and each time he does, Jack is yelling his name louder and louder because if he goes and dies on him now, Hiccup knows he'll go completely insane. So the brunette is fighting it, probably more for Jack than for himself, and it's hard because unconsciousness would be its own form of escape. But the adrenaline pumping through Jack's body would never allow him to follow his lover, so he can't let him go. He just can't. The only indication of the passage of time lies in the heavens, the subtle shift of the moon. So Jack begins pointing it out to Hiccup, insisting he acknowledges its progress and sometimes, for just a moment the brunette feels a flicker of hope before the agony of the night engulfs him again.

The cold would be torture enough, but the real nightmare is listening to Daggur, moaning, begging, and finally just whimpering as the mutts work away at him. After a very short time, he doesn't care who he is or what he's done, all he wanted is for his suffering to end.

"Why don't they just kill him?" complains Hiccup.

"You know why," Jack says, and pulls the brunette closer to him. "No viewer could turn away from the show now. From the Gamemaker's point of view, this is the final word in entertainment."

Hiccup couldn't take that reasoning, couldn't handle if this goes on and on and on, because its too much, it consumed his mind, blocking out memories and hopes of tomorrow, erasing everything but the present, which he begins to believe will never change. There will never be anything but cold and fear and the agonized sounds of the boy dying in the horn. No matter how long they waited, a cannon hasn't fired. He couldn't take the idea of Berk sending out the mutts, using the Lights, turning them to Dragon-like creatures. Taking away their will, changing the Dragon's nature from non-violent unless attacked to violent just for the sake of entertainment.

The brunette has had enough. He wasn't gonna take this any longer.

He tries to get up on his feet... Well, foot. Till he realize he couldn't. "Jack, help me down. And then... Just stay back, and don't make a sound no matter what," Hiccup told him. If the book he read from before was accurate, and he believed it was, then he knew what to do. "I'll end this,"

Jack stared at his lover like he was crazy. Hiccup probably was. But he didn't care, and he didn't give Jack room to argue.

"JACK! DON'T ARGUE AND JUST GET ME DOWN! NOW!"

Jack widened his eyes, his entire being at war with himself. But the sheer volume of Hiccup's voice, the tone of authority... He found himsef compelled to bring the boy down. So maybe that meant he was crazy himself. Either way, he was going wherever Hiccup was going, so at least they were together, whatever happens.

But the hardest part was letting Hiccup go off on his own, staying by the horn as per instructions. He had no idea what the boy was thinking, but the volume and tone from earlier had him in obedience.

All he can do is hope that Hiccup knew what he was doing.

Hiccup found Jack's spear, but instead of using it as a weapon, he takes the spearhead off and used it merely as a crutch. Finally, he takes his knife and calls the attention of the mutts.

The mutts raises their head in attention, finding Hiccup. Fear clenched Jack's heart, but strangely enough, the Dragons-like creatures approached the brunette slowly, leaving Daggur a moment of respite. He was a goner, barely able to move. But he still manages to feel the relief for the rest. When the mutts closes in on Hiccup, they snarl at the knife, glinting by the rising sun. But Hiccup holds their gaze as he threw the knife away, far off into the lake.

"I'm not one of them," he said calmly. From the moment he threw his knife, their gaze followed it till it disappear with a splash. Before they turned their attention back to the brunette, eyes still angry but strangely tamed, as if only a cautionary expression. Jack could barely believe his eyes. "And neither are you, so now," Hiccup presses three fingers to his lip, before stretching it for up. "Rest,"

There was a moment of silence, Neither groups moving. Not the mutts, not Hiccup, not Jack. Till finally, there's a stirr, and the Dragon-like creatures fell down to the ground, eyes closed, and their bodies disintegrates, before it cracks like a shell, revealing the corpse of the long-dead Lights, the nearest mutts to Jack was Vanellope, and mechanically bent down and took her into his arms for the last time.

To say that Jack was dumbfounded, surprise, and shocked was an understaement even if put all together. If Hiccup was the same, it didn't show. He was just numb. He calls for Jack, and the albino reluctantly leaves Vanellope to support his lover. Then another surprising instruction comes out of his lips.

"Take me to Daggur,"

**:::::**

Despite himself, Jack takes the boy to Daggur. He lets him go and Hiccup kneels down to the dying boy.

"Ca-came... t-to finish me... o-off, Hiccy?"

The weak, fragile voice was so contrasting to the bloodthirst maniac that even Jack had to feel sorry for him. Hiccup instructed Jack to get some flowers, and their stuff down the lake.

"It... hurts..." Daggur croaked out as Jack left.

Hiccup pushes back some loose strands of hair from the District Two boy's face. "I know... So, I wanted to ask permission," he holds out the spear head.

Daggur laughs, but it was mostly a cough. "Please," he allowed. But when Hiccup was about to bring it down, the boy took it from his hand. "I'll... do it... Don't... w-wanna... st-stain the pure hands... of someone I... like..."

Hiccup frowns. "Daggur... why do you like me?"

A bloody smile forms in Daggur's lips as he answered. "Because... In the entire Nightmare Games... You... Were... The only... Dream,"

Hiccup's eyes widened as Jack was closing in back to them. Daggur managed to smile the albino's way for one time. Jack's eyes widened at what he saw.

"Lucky... Bastard... Your... boyfriend is..." Daggur sighs, before plunging the spearhead to his heart, ending his life finally. A cannon fires.

Hiccup's shoulders shook, as he moved his hand across Daggur's eyes to close them then sobbed into Jack's shoulder as he knelt down beside him, placing flowers over Daggur's chest.

"We win," Jack says without humor.

Hiccup shook his head. "No one wins, not in these games,"

**:::::**

The boys waited for awhile, Hiccup decorating Daggur's body with flowers as much a he can, for the hovercraft to take Daggur's remains, for the trumpets of victory that should follow, but nothing happens.

"Hey!" Jack shouts into air. "What's going on?" The only response is the chatter of waking birds.

"Maybe it's the body. Maybe we have to move away from it," chokes Hiccup.

Jack tries to remember. Does one have to distance themself from the dead Light on the final kill? His brain is too muddled to be sure, but what else could be the reason for the delay?

"Okay. Think you could make it to the lake?"

"Think I better try," says Hiccup. They inch down to the tail of the horn and fall to the ground. If the stiffness in Jack's limbs is this bad, how can Hiccup's even move? He rises first, swinging and bending his arms and legs until he thinks he can help Hiccup up. He can, and he does more, carrying Hiccup bridal style. The brunette was too weak to protest. Somehow, they make it back to the lake. Jack scoops up a handful of the cold water for Hiccup and brings a second to his lips.

Toothless finally shows up, looking tired and drained, half his tail missing. But he was alive, so that counted for something. Jack wondered what's he been up to, though.

Tears of relief fill Hiccup's eyes as the hovercraft appears and takes Daggur's body away. Now they will take the boys and feline, luckily showing up in time. Now they can go home.

But again there's no response.

"What are they waiting for?" says Hiccup weakly. Between the loss of leg and the effort it took with the mutts and all things considered, his wound has opened up again.

"I don't know," Jack says. Whatever the holdup is, Jack can't watch his lover lose any more blood. Suddenly, Turbo K.C. Time's voice booms into the arena.

"Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Nightmare Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed, he says. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."

**:::::**

There's a small burst of static and then nothing more. Jack stares at Hiccup, and he looks back the same in disbelief as the truth sinks in. They never intended to let them both live. This has all been devised by the Gamemakers to guarantee the most dramatic showdown in history. And like a fool, they bought into it.

Face wiped clean from any expression except weariness, Hiccup speaks. "If you think about it, its not that surprising," he says.

Jack watches as he painfully makes it to his foot. Then he's limping toward him, as if in slow motion, his hand is pulling the knife he recovered from the lake. The brunette reaches Jack, planting a soft kiss in the albino's lips, before handing over the knife. Toothless, weary as he is, couldn't do anything as he was asleep, tired from whatever he's been doing.

"Do it,"

Jack widened his eyes, before they settled in fury, throwing the knife several yards off. "The hell, Hiccup?! I can't do that to you!" He growls. "I won't!"

Hiccup frowns, sighing. "I'll go first anyway. You really want me to die a slow death? Anything but that Jack..." he pleaded.

"Then you kill me! And they'll heal you right up,"

"Jack," he says. "It's okay,"

"NO IT'S NOT! You're not leaving me here alone," Jack sobbed, reaching for Hiccup and securing the boy in an embrace. Because if he dies, he'll never go home, not really. he'll spend the rest of his life like Aster, because he couldn't save the boy with the bread. The boy he loved.

"Listen," Hiccup says pulling back from Jack regretfully. "Wheteher we like it or not, we both know they have to have a victor. It can only be one of us. Please, take it. For me." And he goes on about how he loves Jack, what life would be without him.

But Jack felt the same, and he couldn't accept ife without Hiccup either.

"We both know they have to have a victor." The albino repeats, Yes, they have to have a victor. Without a victor, the whole thing would blow up in the Gamemakers faces. They'd have failed Berk. Might possibly even be executed, slowly and painfully while the cameras broadcast it to every screen in the country. "But who says we're giving in to that?"

If Hiccup and he were both to die, or they thought they were...

Jack's fingers fumble with the pouch on his belt, freeing it. Hiccup sees it and his hand clamps on his boyfriend's wrist. "No, I won't let you!"

"I trusted you with the Mutts. Now... Trust me," Jack whispers. Hiccup holds Jack's gaze for a long moment then lets him go. The older boy loosen the top of the pouch and pour a few spoonfuls of berries into his freckled-face, emerald eyed, adorable brunette's palm. Then he fill his own. "On the count of three?"

Hiccup wraps his arms around Jack's neck, kisses him once, very gently. "The count of three," he says.

*They sat down, their backs pressed together, their empty hands locked tight, eyes closed.

"Hold them out. I want everyone to see," Hiccup says quietly.

Jack spreads out his fingers, and the dark berries glisten in the sun. He gives Hiccup's hand one last squeeze as a signal, as a goodbye, and they begin counting.

**"One."**

Maybe Jack was wrong.

**"Two."**

Maybe they don't care if they both die.

**"Three!** "

It's too late to change their minds. They lift their respective hands to their mouth, taking one last look at the world. The berries have just passed their lips when the trumpets begin to blare.

The frantic voice of Turbo K.C. Time shouts above them. "Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Nightmare Games, Jackson Overland and Hamish Haddock! I give you the Lights and Star-crossed lovers of District Twelve!"

**A/N: If I don't get damn long and good reviews from this, I won't update for three days! I didn't sleep! Okay, I did, but for an hour till I had to up for breakfast to go to school. For the scene marked with (*) you can imagine it being the cover of this ficc, **_**After battle repose, **_**except, you know, the art is not mine and they weren't crossed arms at all.**


	21. The Beginning

**A/N: Just to clarify two things, [1] This is not the actual last chapter. Just the last chapter of the Nightmare Games arc. Next chapter will be out a bit later for the Catching Frostbite Arc. [2] the purpose of that scene with Daggur and the dead Lights is to emphasis the real enemy in this ficc.**

**Amoechan, in regards to your review from the last chapter, I'm touched that you wouldn't watch or read Catching Fire for the sake of being surprise here even if this isn't the original. Please, PM me what you think of the real Hunger Games storyline. I'd love to know. Same goes for any of you other readers who haven't seen nor read Hunger Games and are intending on watching/reading it after seeing this ficc. Special requests to all my readers who are artist, like aoshinobi, I kinda want this Nightmare Games fandom thing to spread. So if it's all right, can you guys draw and deviantart them or something? If it's okay. And tell me if you do please. I'd do that if I was good in drawing. But am not. :c**

**Lastly, thank you to all of you who's been reading. Hope you guys will continue to read and review when I start Catching Frostbite. Remember, I'll still be posting it in this story. It won't be separated.**

**The Beginning**

_**"One." **_

_**Maybe Jack was wrong. **_

_**"Two."**_

_**Maybe they don't care if they both die. **_

_**"Three! "**_

_**It's too late to change their minds. They lift their respective hands to their mouth, taking one last look at the world. The berries have just passed their lips when the trumpets begin to blare. **_

_**The frantic voice of Turbo K.C. Time shouts above them. "Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Nightmare Games, Jackson Overland and Hamish Haddock! I give you the Lights and Star-crossed lovers of District Twelve!"**_

**:::::**

Hiccup spews the berries from his mouth, Toothless still in his lap, wiping his tongue with the end of his shirt to make sure no juice remains. Jack carries him to the lake where they both flush their mouths with water and then collapse into each other's arms.

"You didn't swallow any?" Jack asked in panic.

Hiccup shakes his head, still wide-eyed. "You?"

"Guess I'd be dead by now if I did," Jack says. Hiccup can see his lips moving in reply, but he can't hear him over the roar of the crowd in Berk that they're playing live over the speakers.

The hovercraft materializes overhead and two ladders drop, only there's no way Jack was letting go of Hiccup. The albino keeps one arm around the brunette, the latter doing the same for his sleeping feline, as he helps him up, and they each place a foot on the first rung of the ladder. The electric current freezes them in place, and since blue eyes were looking down, Jack can see that while their muscles are immobile, nothing is preventing the blood from draining out of Hiccup's left leg. Sure enough, the minute the door closes behind them and the current stops, Hiccup falls to his knees, drops Toothless, and slumps to the floor, unconscious.

Jack's fingers are still gripping the back of his jacket so tightly that when they take him away it tears leaving him with a fistful of fabric. Doctors in sterile white, masked and gloved, already prepped to operate, go into action. Hiccup's so pale and still on a silver table, tubes and wires springing out of him every which way, and for a moment Jack forgets they were out of the Games and he sees the doctors as just one more threat, one more pack of mutts designed to kill.

Petrified, Jack lunges for his brunette, but he's caught, Toothless shoved into his arms, and thrusted back into another room, and a glass door seals between them. Despairingly, he puts the cat down and pounds on the glass, screaming his head off, crying his eyes out. Everyone ignores him except for some Berk attendant who appears behind him and offers him a beverage.

Jack slumps down on the floor, his face against the door, staring uncomprehendingly at the crystal glass in his hand. Icy cold, filled with orange juice, a straw with a frilly white collar. How wrong it looks in his bloody, filthy hand with its dirt-caked nails and scars. Despite the situation, his mouth waters at the smell, but he places it carefully on the floor, not trusting anything so clean and fancy. And more accurately, not trusting anything from Berk. He curled up in a spooning position beside Toothless.

Through the glass, Jack sees the doctors working feverishly on Hiccup, their brows creased in concentration. He sees the flow of liquids, pumping through the tubes, watch a wall of dials and lights that mean nothing to him. Jack's not sure, but he thinks Hiccup's heart stops twice.

It's like being home again, when they bring in a hopelessly mangled person from a hunt, or the woman in her third day of labor, or the famished child struggling against pneumonia and Mrs. Overland and Emma, they wear that same look on their faces. Now is the time to run away to the woods, to hide in the trees until the patient is long gone and in another part of the Seam the hammers make the coffin. But Jack's held there both by the hovercraft walls and the same force that holds the loved ones of the dying. How often he's seen them, ringed around their kitchen table and he thinks, _Why don't they leave? Why do they stay to watch?_

And now he knows. Their situation not so different from the one he was in now.

Jack startles when he catches someone staring at him from only a few inches away and then realize it's his own face reflecting back in the glass. Wild eyes, hollow cheeks, his hair in a tangled mess. Rabid. Feral. Mad. No wonder everyone is keeping a safe distance from him. The next thing he knows they've landed back on the roof of the Training Center and they're taking Hiccup but leaving him behind the door. He starts hurling himself against the glass, shrieking and he thinks he just catches a glimpse of multi-colored feathers. It must be Tooth, it has to be Tooth coming to his rescue when the needle jabs him from behind.

**:::::**

When Jack wakes, he's afraid to move at first. The entire ceiling glows with a soft yellow light allowing him to see that he's in a room containing just his bed. No doors, no windows are visible. No Toothless. No adorable, scrawny boyfriend. The air smells of something sharp and antiseptic. His right arm has several tubes that extend into the wall behind him. He's naked, but the bedclothes are soothing against his skin. He tentatively lifts his left hand above the cover. Not only has it been scrubbed clean, the nails are filed in perfect ovals, the scars from the burns are less prominent. He touches his cheek, his lips, and is just running his fingers through his silken hair.

Jack tries and sit up, but some sort of wide restraining band around his waist keeps him from rising more than a few inches. The physical confinement makes him panic and he's trying to pull himself up and wriggle his hips through the band when a portion of the wall slides open and in steps the Sandys Hiccup told him about carrying a tray. The sight of him calms the albino and he stops trying to escape. While he adjusts his pillows, he risks one question. Jack says it out loud, as clearly as his rusty voice will allow, so nothing will seem secretive.

"Did Hiccup make it?"

He gives me a nod, and as he slips a spoon into Jack's hand, he feels the pressure of friendship. Jack felt like he can now breathe a little better. Hiccup has made it. Of course, he did. With all their expensive equipment here. Still, he hadn't been sure until now. As the Sandys leaves, the door closes noiselessly after him and Jack turns hungrily to the tray. A bowl of clear broth, a small serving of applesauce, and a glass of water.

_This is it?_ Jack thinks grouchily. _Shouldn't my homecoming dinner be a little more spectacular?_

But Jack finds it's an effort to finish the spare meal before him. His stomach seems to have shrunk to the size of a chestnut, and he had to wonder how long he's been out because he had no trouble eating a fairly sizable breakfast that last morning in the arena. There's usually a lag of a few days between the end of the competition and the presentation of the victor-or victors, in this case-so that they can put the starving, wounded, mess of a person back together again. Somewhere, Elsa and Anna will be creating their wardrobes for the public appearances. Aster and Tooth will be arranging the banquet for their sponsors, reviewing the questions for the final interviews. Back home, District 12 is probably in chaos as they try and organize the homecoming celebrations for Jack and Hiccup, given that the last one was close to thirty years ago.

_Home! _Jack breaks to a grin._ Emma and mom! Jamie!_ Even the thought of Emma's scruffy old cat makes me smile. Soon Jack will be home, along with his new boyfriend. He couldn't wait. Jack wanted to get out of this bed. To see Hiccup and Elsa, to find out more about what's been going on. And why shouldn't he? He feels fine. But as he starts to work his way out of the band, he feels a cold liquid seeping into his vein from one of the tubes and almost immediately lose consciousness.

This happens on and off for an indeterminate amount of time. His waking, eating, and, even though he resists the impulse to try and escape the bed, being knocked out again. Jack seems to be in a strange, continual twilight. Only a few things register. The sunny-blond Sandys boy has not returned since the feeding, his scars are disappearing, and did he imagine it? Or does he hear a man's voice yelling? Not in the Berk's accent, but in the rougher cadences of home. And he can't help having a vague, comforting feeling that someone is looking out for him.

Then finally, the time arrives when Jack comes to and there's nothing plugged into his right arm. The restraint around his middle has been removed and he's free to move about. Jack starts to sit up but is arrested by the sight of his hands. The skin's perfection, smooth and glowing. Not only are the scars from the arena gone, but those accumulated over years of hunting have vanished without a trace. He feels like satin, and when he tries to find the burn on his calf, there's nothing.

Jack slips his legs out of bed, nervous about how they will bear his weight and find them strong and steady. Lying at the foot of the bed is an outfit that makes him flinch. It's what all of the Lights wore in the arena. He stared at it as if it had teeth until he remembers that, of course, this is what he will wear to greet my team.

He's dressed in less than a minute and fidgeting in front of the wall where he knows there's a door even if he can't see it when suddenly it slides open. He steps into a wide, deserted hall that appears to have no other doors on it. But it must. And behind one of them must be Hiccup. Now that he's conscious and moving, he's growing more and more anxious about him. He must be all right or the Sandys boy wouldnt have said so. But he needed to see his boyfriend for himself.

"Hiccup!" He calls out, since there's no one to ask. Jack hears his name in response, but its not his lover's voice. It's a voice that provokes first comfort and then relief. Tooth. Jack turns and sees them all waiting in a big chamber at the end of the hall. Tooth, Aster, and Elsa. His feet take off without hesitation. Maybe a victor should show more restraint, more superiority, especially when he knows this will be on tape, but he doesn't care. He runs for them and surprise even himself when he launches into Aster's arms first. When he whispers in Jack's ear,

"Nice job, you bloody showpony," it doesn't sound sarcastic. Tooth's somewhat teary and keeps patting Jack's hair. Elsa just hugs Jack tight and doesn't say anything. Then Jack notices Anna is absent and get a bad feeling.

"Where's Anna? Is she with Hiccup? He is all right, isn't he? I mean, he's alive?" Jack blurts out.

"He's fine. Only they want to do your reunion live on air at the ceremony," says Aster.

"Oh. for the love of-" Jack grumbled. Sure, the awful moment of thinking Hiccup's dead again passes. But he didn't care if Berk wanted to see them reunite, he wanted to see him now.

"Go on with Elsa. She has to get you ready," says Aster.

It's a relief to be alone with Elsa, to feel her protective arm around his shoulders as she guides Jack away from the cameras, down a few passages and to an elevator that leads to the lobby of the Training Center. The hospital then is far underground. The windows of the lobby are darkened, and a handful of guards stand on duty. No one else is there to see them cross to the Light elevator. Their footsteps echo in the emptiness. And when they ride up to the twelfth floor, the faces of all the Lights who will never return flash across his mind and there's a heavy, tight place in Jack's chest.

When the elevator doors open, Flynn, Monty, and Olaf engulfs him, talking so quickly and ecstatically Jack's can't make out their words. The sentiment is clear though. They are truly thrilled to see him, and Jack's happy to see them, Flynn too, although not like he was to see Elsa. They sweep him into the dining room and he gets a real meal, roast beef and peas and soft rolls, although his portions are still being strictly controlled. Because when he asked for seconds, he's refused.

"No, no, no. They don't want it all coming back up on the stage," says Olaf, but he secretly slips Jack an extra roll under the table to let Jack know he's on his side.

They go back to Jack's room and Elsa disappears for a while as the prep team gets Jack ready.

When Jack looks at his naked body in the mirror, all he can see is how skinny he was. Sure he was worse when he came out of the arena, but Jack can easily count his ribs. They take care of the shower settings for the albino, and they go to work on his dead nails, and hair when he's done. They chatter so continuously that Jack barely have to reply, which is good, since he doesn't feel very talkative. It's funny, because even though they're rattling on about the Games, its all about where they were or what they were doing or how they felt when a specific event occurred.

_I was still in bed!_

_I had just had my hair styled!_

_I swear I nearly fainted!_

Everything is about them, not the dying boys and girls in the arena. Jack was different. He was from the Districts, not Berk. They don't wallow around in the Games this way in District 12. They grit their teeth and watch because they must and try to get back to business as soon as possible when they're over. To keep from hating the prep team, Jack effectively tunes out most of what they're saying.

Elsa comes in with what appears to be an unassuming blue suit across her arms.

"Have you given up the whole Living Frostbite thing?" Jack asked. "I literally almost died because of it,"

Elsa smirks. "You tell me," she says, and helps Jack into the suit. Jack immediately notices the padding over his torso, adding fats and muscles that hunger has stolen from his body. It made him look more well-fed than he actually was. Jack raised a brow, confused.

"Well, the Game-makers wanted to put you into steroids, saying a victor shouldn't look as thin as you do. Aster had a huge fight with them over it. This was the compromise." She stops Jack before he can look at his reflection. "Wait, don't forget the shoes. You should be able to remember, after everything that happened."

Olaf helps Jack into a pair of leather shoes, although strangely despite the deathwood experience he still preferred going barefoot, then Jack turns to the mirror. He's still the Living Frostbite. The sheer fabric shines. Even the slight movement in the air sends a glint over his body. By comparison, the chariot costume seems deadly, the interview outfit too contrived. In this outfit, Jack gives the illusion of being ice himself, not just wearing it.

"What do you think?" asks Elsa.

Jack shrugs. "I think it's the best yet," He says, justt happy he didn't have to freeze to death. When he looked at his own reflection, he looked simple in the make-over. Harmless. Non-violent. It is shocking that Elsa has pulled this off when he just won the Games.

This is a very calculated look. Nothing Elsa designs is arbitrary. Jack bites his lip trying to figure out her motivation.

"I thought it'd be something more... sophisticated-looking,"

"Well, since you and Hiccup will match, I thought he'd would like this better," she answers carefully.

It's not about Hiccup. It's about Berk and the Gamemakers and the audience. Although Jack does not yet understand Elsa's design, it's a reminder the Games are not quite finished. And beneath her benign reply, he senses a warning. Of something she can't even mention in front of her own team.

**:::::**

They take the elevator to the level beneathe the interview hall. It's customary for the victor and his or her support team to rise from beneath the stage. First the prep team, followed by the escort, the stylist, the mentor, and finally the victor. Only this year, with two victors who share both an escort and a mentor, the whole thing has had to be rethought. Jack finds himself in a poorly lit area under the stage. A brand-new metal plate has been installed to transport him upward. Small piles of sawdust, smell fresh paint is seen. Elsa and the prep team peel off to change into their own costumes and take their positions, leaving him alone. In the gloom, Jack sees a makeshift wall about ten yards away and assume Hiccup's behind it, his heart beating in eagerness.

The rumbling of the crowd is loud, so he doesn't notice Aster until he touches Jack's shoulder. He springs away, startled, his instinct's still half in the arena.

"Easy, just me. Let's have a look at you," Aster says, standing back. Jack holds out his arms and turn once. "Good enough."

It's not much of a compliment. "But what?"

Aster's eyes shift around his musty holding space, and he seems to make a decision. "But nothing. How about a hug for luck?"

Okay, that's an odd request from Aster but, after all, Jack is one of the two victors. Maybe a hug for luck is in order. Only, when the teen puts his arms around his neck, he finds myself trapped in his embrace. Aster begins talking, very fast, very quietly in his ear, Jack's still somewhat spread out hair concealing Aster's lips.

"Listen up. You're in trouble. You and your little boyfriend. Word is Berk's furious about you showing them up in the arena. With the berries. The one thing they can't stand is being laughed at and they're the joke of Burgess," Aster hisses. "You're in the clear somewhat, they could chalk up your berry stunt as a way to stay together with your boyfriend. But even if Hiccup does return the feelings, he's still practically on their watchlist, his cynicism, his obvious detest for the games or just killing in general, being saved by the Nightfury two times for bloody hell knows why, and that stunt he pulled off with the mutts, how the bloody hell he did it escapes me though. They don't like it one bit that he cracked the system."

Jack feels dread coursing through him now, but he laughs as though Aster is saying something completely delightful because nothing is covering his mouth. "So, what?"

"This is serious, Jack." Aster scowled. "They were after Hiccup's death from the start, and his bloody cry of murder at the death of the boy from district eleven really ticked them off. And they hate that they have to make him a victor when he killed nobody. That escapes the purpose of their Nightmare games. You're his only defense,"

"How so?" Jack raises a brow. He didn't mind being his boyfriend's defense, but from what? He questioned it.

"How you love him so much and how his purity one of the things you love most, because I'm sure it is. And you can claim you didn't want him to get his hands dirty. How he loves you back that he emphatizes with you forced into being a killer, and you should forstall any outburst he'll make before he can get them out. You know him better, you'll know the cues," Aster pulls back and adjusts Jack's collar. "Got it, Frostbite?" He could be talking about anything now.

"Got it," Jack says. "Did you tell Hiccup this?"

Aster frowns, and risk a low whisper. "I can't. They're watching him like a hawk."

"But you think they're not watching me?" Jack frowns.

"Not as much. If they were viewing it as a Knight-Princess thing, you're the Knight, and your boyfriend is the Princess that they're after." says Aster. Jack didn't blush. He understood the seriousness of the message Aster was trying to get across: Hiccup was the threat they had to keep their eyes on, and Jack was his protector. No one paid attention to the protector till the actual confronation. "In any case, it might work out better. Ignorant is blissful innocence. And he'll need to pull that off. Better take our places." Aster leads Jack to the metal circle. "This is your night, Frostbite. Enjoy it."

Jack tugs on his coat, his whole body's shaking like a leaf. Hopefully, it will be put down to excitement. After all, it's his night. And he was seeing Hiccup again

Even if the boy was a cause of worry.

The damp, moldy smell beneath the stage threatens to choke Jack. A cold, clammy sweat breaks out on his skin and he can't rid myself of the feeling that the boards above his head are about to collapse, to bury him alive under the rubble. When he left the arena, when the trumpets played, he was supposed to be safe. From then on. For the rest of his life. But if what Aster says is true, and he's got no reason to lie, Jack have never been in such a dangerous place in his life.

It's so much worse than being hunted in the arena. There, Jack could only die. End of story. But out here Emma, his mother, Jamie, the people of District 12, everyone he cared about back home could be punished if he became careless of his words and actions beyond the arena. Funny, in the arena, when he poured out those berries, he was only thinking of staying with Hiccup, outsmarting the Gamemakers, not how their actions would reflect on Berk. But the Nightmare Games are their weapon and you are not supposed to be able to defeat it. Defeat their sole victor rule. So now Berk will act as if they've been in control the whole time. As if they orchestrated the whole event, right down to the double suicide. But that will only work if Jack goes along with them.

The berries was to be with Hiccup. That was the only truth he can show. The half-truth. Not the other part of defiance.

**:::::**

The anthem booms in Jack's ears, and then he hears Roxanne Richie greeting the audience. Does she know how crucial it is to get every word right from now on? She must. She will want to help. The crowd breaks into applause as the prep teams are presented. Jack imagines Flynn, Monty, and Olaf bouncing around and taking ridiculous, bobbing bows. It's a safe bet they're clueless, maybe except Flynn. Then Tooth's introduced. As sweet as Effie can be, she has a very keen instinct about certain things and must at least suspect the boys were in trouble. Elsa and Anna receive huge cheers, of course, they've been brilliant, had a dazzling debut. Jack now understands Elsa's choice of outfit for him for tonight, how it would match with Hiccup's and its need to look less flashy. The boys would pull off being a lovey-dovey couple, like they were from the start, and will both need to look as modest and innocent as possible. Aster's appearance brings a round of stomping that goes on at least five minutes. Well, he's accomplished a first. Keeping not only one but two Lights alive. What if he hadn't warned Jack in time? Would the albino have acted differently? Flaunted the moment with the berries in Berk's face? No, he didn't think so. But he could easily have been a lot less convincing than he needed to be now. Right now. Because he can feel the plate lifting him up to the stage.

Blinding lights. The deafening roar rattles the metal under Jack's feet. Then there's Hiccup just a few yards away, Toothless still asleep, on a leash by the seats. Hiccup looks so clean and healthy and beautiful, Jack could barely take it in all at once. But his crooked smile is the same whether in mud or in Berk and when the albino Overland sees it, he takes about three steps and slammed himself into his boyfriend's person. Hiccup staggers back, almost losing his balance, and that's when Jack realizes the slim, metal contraption in his hand is some kind of cane. He rights himself and the boys just cling to each other while the audience goes insane. Jack's kissing Hiccup eagerly, and all the time the older male's thinking,

_Do you know? Do you know how much danger we're in?_

After about ten minutes of this, Roxanne Richie taps on his shoulder to continue the show, and Jack just pushes her aside without even glancing at her, not wanting to go into the battlefield once more just yet. The audience goes berserk. Plainly oblivious to the real situation.

Finally, Aster interrupts them and gives them a good-natured shove toward the victors chair. Usually, this is a single, ornate chair from which the winning Light watches a film of the highlights of the Games, but since there are two of Lights, the Gamemakers have provided a plush red velvet couch. A small one, Jack's mother would call it a love seat, and the older male pulls Hiccup that he's practically on his lap, and Hiccup leans his head against Jack's shoulder, not reserved like he was in the cave when Jack had forced him to sit on top. His arm goes around the brunette automatically, protectively, and Hiccup feels like he's back in the cave, curled up against his lover, trying to keep warm. His shirt is made of the same blue material as Jack's suit. Simple.

Roxanne Richie makes a few more jokes, and then it's time for the show. This will last exactly three hours and is required viewing for all of Burgess. As the lights dim and the seal appears on the screen, the boys realize they're unprepared for this. Mostly the younger, but that had to be given. Hiccup does not want to watch his twenty-two fellow Lights die. He saw enough of them die the first time. His heart starts pounding and the brunette has a strong impulse to run. Jack was the same. Thinking how have the other victors faced this alone? During the highlights, they periodically show the winners reaction up on a box in the corner of the screen. He thinks back to earlier years... some are triumphant, pumping their fists in the air, beating their chests. Most just seem stunned. All he knows is that the only thing keeping him sane on this love seat is the boy on his lap, shoulders stiffened, and Jack tightens his arm around his lover's shoulder, his other hand claimed by both of Hiccup's. Of course, the previous victors didn't have Berk looking for a way to destroy them, one moreso than the other. He thought he'd be done protecting Hiccup once they get out of the arena somewhat,

Guess he was wrong.

Condensing several weeks into three hours is quite a feat, especially when you consider how many cameras were going at once. Whoever puts together the highlights has to choose what sort of story to tell. This year, for the first time, they tell a love story. Jack knows Hiccup and he had won, but a disproportionate amount of time is spent on them, right from the beginning. He's glad though, because it supports their whole relationship that's a defense for defying Berk, since the boys wanted to keep that for themself, they had to admit being on camera wasn't the way to do it, but the plus is it means they won't have as much time to linger over the deaths.

The first half hour or so focuses on the pre-arena events, the reaping, the chariot ride through Berk, with Jack's kiss captured after all, their training scores, and the interviews. There's this sort of upbeat soundtrack playing under it that makes it twice as awful because, of course, almost everyone on-screen is dead.

Once the boys were in the arena, there's detailed coverage of the bloodbath and then the filmmakers basically alternate between shots of Lights dying and shots of Jack and Hiccup. Mostly Hiccup really, theres no question he's carrying a pre-romance thing on his shoulders with being held captive, flirted by Daggur, and protecting Jack by not telling how to find him. But with all honesty, he reallly didn't know how Jack worked in the woods till much later to know his possible whereabouts. Now Jack sees what the audience saw, how Hiccuo suffered in the High's hands, Azula cutting him, seeing Daggur did a lot of invading privacy that Jack almost forgot about feeling sorry for him at his dying moments, how stayed awake the almost the entire night under the tracker jacker tree pleading eyes looking up the tree Jack was perched on, how he supported Jack when they were fleeing the scene before twisting his leg and Jack dragging him straight off the edge, how he tried to get to Jack when they fell into the river, and even while he lay in that mud bank, whispered Jack's name in his sleep. Jack seemed cold in comparison which was ironic because he was the one who was in love first, though given the fact his thoughts were the ones mostly reflecting his love for Hiccup but that can't be seen on camera unlike the dodging of fireballs, dropping the nests, and blowing up supplies until he goes hunting for Vanellope. They play her death in full, the slash, Jack's failed rescue attempt, his weapon through the boy from District 1's chest, Vanellope drawing her last breath in his arms. Although the audio was muted to be replaced by a sad theme. Something inside Jack shuts down and he's too numb to feel anything. It's like watching complete strangers in another Nightmare Games. But he does notice they omit the part where he covered her in flowers.

_Right. Because even that smacks of rebellion._

Unfortunately, Hiccup didn't catch the cue. "I thought you said you covered her in flowers," he didn't say it loudly, but loud enough to be heard by the people nearest to the stage.

Jack stiffened initially before kissing his cheek. "Jealous I didn't give you flowers first?" In normal circumstances, this would be a good-natured banter. But now, the older teen was merely thinking about covering up.

"Jack-" Hiccup pouted but Jack silenced him with a kiss.

"Shh. just watch."

Things pick up for the boys once they've announced two Lights from the same district can live, Jack forced back a scornful expression at the total lie, and he shout out Hiccup's name and then clap his hands over my mouth. If he seemed cold to love earlier, he makes up for it now, by finding him, nursing him back to health, until the sitution turned reverse and it was Hiccup taking care of him even with his injured leg, going to the feast for the medicine, and being very free with kisses. Objectively, Jack can see the mutts and Daggur's death are as gruesome as ever, but again, Jack feels it happened to people he have never met.

Jack didn't know how they did it, but the film-makers managed to omit and cut the whole Nightfury and mutt breaking open thing, and the crowd goes on a temporary uproar that they left out one of the best parts.

Jack stiffened, knowing that didn't play in their favors. He was just thankful Hiccup made no comment, maybe too stunned and shaken up by watching everything unfold full view.

And then comes the moment with the berries. Jack can hear the audience hushing one another, not wanting to miss anything. A wave of gratitude to the filmmakers sweeps over him when they end not with the announcement of the victory, but with Jack pounding on the glass door of the hovercraft, screaming Hiccup's name as they try to revive him.

In terms of survival, it's the best moment all night.

The anthems playing yet again and everyone rise as President Pitchner himself takes the stage followed by a little girl carrying a cushion that holds the crown. There's just one crown, though, and you can hear the crowd's confusion. Whose head will he place it on?

Until President Pitchner gives it a twist and it separates into two halves. He places the first around Jack's brow with a smile. He's still smiling when he settles the second on Hiccup's head, but his eyes, just inches from the brunette, are as unforgiving as a snake's, Jack wished he could push the man away when Hiccup swallows nervously, confused.

That's when Jack knows that even though both of them would have eaten the berries, and while Jack is to blame for having the idea. Hiccup's still the instigator. The one who transformed the mutts back to what shouldn't have been revealed. The one who was a threat as the Nightfury was. The one to be punished.

Much bowing and cheering follows. Their arms are about to fall off from waving when Roxanne Richie finally bids the audience good night, reminding them to tune in tomorrow for the final interviews. As if they have a choice.

Hiccup carried Toothless, then he and Jack are whisked to the president's mansion for the Victory Banquet, where they have very little time to eat as Berk's officials and particularly generous sponsors elbow one another out of the way as they try to get their picture with the boys. One even asking for a kiss on the cheek from Hiccup Jack almost exploded. Face after beaming face flashes by, becoming increasingly intoxicated as the evening wears on. Occasionally, Jack catches a glimpse of Aster, which is reassuring, or President Pitchner, which is terrifying, but Jack keeps laughing and thanking people and smiling as his picture is taken. The one thing he never does is let Hiccup go even an arm length away.

The sun is just peeking over the horizon when they straggle back to the twelfth floor of the Training Center. Jack thinks now he'll finally get a word alone with Hiccup, but Aster sends him off with Anna to get something fitted for the interview and personally escorts Jack to his door.

"Why cant I talk to him?"

"Plenty of time for talk when we get home," says Aster. "Go to bed, you're on air at two."

Despite Aster's running interference, Jack's determined to see Hiccup privately. After he toss and turn for a few hours, he slips into the hall. His first thought is to check the roof, but it's empty. Even the city streets far below are deserted after the celebration last night. Jack go back to bed for a while and then decide to go directly to his boyfriend's room, but when he tries to turn the knob, Jack finds his own bedroom door has been locked from the outside. He suspects Aster initially, but then there's a more insidious fear that Berk maybe monitoring and confining him. Jack's been unable to escape since the Nightmarre Games began, but this feels different, much more personal. This feels like he's been imprisoned for a crime and he's awaiting sentencing. Jack quickly gets back in bed and pretend to sleep until Toothiana comes to alert him to the start of another busy day.

Jack had about five minutes to eat a bowl of hot grain and stew before the prep team descends. All they had to say is, "The crowd loved you!" and it's unnecessary to speak for the next couple of hours. When Elsa comes in, and she shoos them out and dresses Jack in a white, nicely done suits. Then she personally adjusts his hair until It seemed to radiate a soft, icy glow. They make idle chitchat, but Jack's afraid to ask her anything of real importance because after the incident with the door, he can't shake the feeling that he's also being watched constantly.

The interview takes place right down the hall in the sitting room. A space has been cleared and the love seat has been moved in and surrounded by vases of red and pink roses. There are only a handful of cameras to record the event. No live audience at least.

Roxanne Richie gives Jack a warm hug when he comes in. "Congratulations, Jackson. How are you faring?"

"Fine. Nervous about the interview," As far as he was concerned, Roxanne was a neutral.

"Don't be. We're going to have a fabulous time," she says, giving my cheek a reassuring pat.

"I'm not sure my boyfriend's gonna be good at talking about himself,"

"Nothing he says will be wrong," she says. "but feel free to talk for him."

"And I think I will,"

_Nothing he says will be wrong._ Jack repeats in his head. _Jeez, Roxanne, if only that were true._ But actually, President Pitchner may be arranging some sort of accident for the brunette as they speak.

Then Hiccup's there looking adorable in blue and white, and Jack is pulling him off to the side.

"Where's Toothless?"

"With Anna. Strangely, he's still sleeping. Wonder what he did when he ran off to the woods," Then the brunette says, "I hardly get to see you and you ask about the cat?" Hiccup sighed. "Aster seems bent on keeping us apart."

Aster is actually bent on keeping them alive, but there are too many ears listening, so Jack just says, "Yes, he's gotten very responsible lately."

"Well, there's just this and we go home. Then he can't watch us all the time," says Hiccup, shrugging with oblivion.

Jack feels a sort of shiver run through him and there's no time to analyze why, because they're ready for the lovers. They sit somewhat formally on the love seat, but Roxanne says,

"Oh, go ahead and curl up next to him if you want. It looked very sweet." So Jack pulls Hiccup in close to him, the latter tucking his head at the crook of Jack's neck.

Someone counts backward and just like that, they were being broadcast live to the entire country. Roxanne Richie is wonderful, teasing, joking, getting choked up when the occasion presents itself. She and Jack already have the rapport they established that night of the first interview, that easy banter, so Hiccup just smiles a lot and try to speak as little as possible. Of course, he had to talk some, but as soon as he can he redirects the conversation back to Jack. Which suited the older male. Right now, a talking Hiccup is a indangered Hiccup.

Eventually though, Roxanne begins to pose questions that insist on fuller answers.

"Well, Jack, we know, from your days in the cave, that it was love at first sight for you from what, age five?" Roxanne says.

"From the moment I laid eyes on him," says Jack. Hiccup blushes, hiding his face.

"But, Hiccup, what a ride for you. I think the real excitement for the audience was watching you fall for him. When did you realize you were in love with him?" asks Roxanne.

"Oh, that's a hard one..." Hiccup gives a faint, breathy laugh and look down at his hands. _Help. _Hiccup looked at Jack, and he just smiled. _Be honest. "_I guess... I've always had... But I took a while being in-denial. It was too much to take... Still, I don't know why it ever took me that long to realize he won me over from the start... I just didn't want to engage on it... Cause I didn't know yet that I could keep him..."

Behind a cameraman, Jack sees Aster give a sort of huff with relief and he knows Hiccup must have said the right thing. Roxanne pulls out a handkerchief and has to take a moment because she's so moved. Jack presses his forehead into Hiccup's temple and he asks,

"So now that youve got me, what are you going to do with me?"

Hiccup snorted and turns in to him. "Put you somewhere you can't get hurt for me like the overprotective boyfriend you are," And when Jack kisses him, people in the room actually sigh.

For Roxanne, this is a natural place to segue into all the ways the boys did get hurt in the arena, from burns, to stings, to wounds. But it's not until they get around to the mutts that the boys forget their on camera. When Roxanne asks Hiccup how his new leg is working out.

"New leg?" Jack says, blinking, and he can't help reaching out and pulling up the bottom of Hiccup's pants. "Oh, no," He chokes, taking in the metal-and-plastic prosthetic that has replaced his flesh.

"No one told you?" asks Hiccup gently. Jack shakes his head, hugging his boyfriend. "c'mon Jack... It was given, they can't regenerate my foot..."

"It's my fault," Jack says. "I should have taken better care of you..."

"Yes, it's your fault I'm alive and not dying in the mud," says Hiccup bluntly.

"He's right," says Roxanne. "And he'd have bled to death for sure without your quick thinking on the jacket sleeve."

This is true, but Jack can't help feeling upset about it to the extent that he's afraid he might cry, because he should've been the one in the danger zone. But he left Hiccup to run away from the mutt. So Jack just buries his face in Hiccup's shirt. It takes them a couple of minutes to coax him back out because it's better in the shirt, where no one can see him cry, and when he does come out, Roxanne backs off questioning him so Jack can recover. Which, now, Jack regretted. Because this means asking Hiccup.

"Hiccup, I know you've had a shock, but I've got to ask. The moment you stepped into the arena what do you think, hm? That you came this far without killing anyone? That had to be a first, right? Years of watching the games..."

Jack definitely paled at that point. This is the crucial moment where it's either they come out challenging Berk or was out of their minds in love. This situation definitely they couldn't their romance card. And the questin had to be directed to Hiccup.

"Actually... I never watched the games with full attention..." Hiccup admitted. "so I don't know how to kill, and it never occured to me that I had to. I was never one for fighting,"

Jack could breathe a little better then. _I was never one for fighting. _While it was totally honest, it was far from being a cynic response. Therefore, if Hiccup doesn't fight, then he couldn't rebel.

Roxanne smiles. "So I take it Jack didn't mind playing your knight, doing the fighting for you?"

"You make me sound like Princess." Hiccup scrunched up his nose.

"Maybe a little," Roxanne shrugs. "And the berries, any thoughts?"

Hiccup laughs wearily. "Well, I was just thinking it's either they have us both or none at all, after all, the alternative would be arguing about it all day long on who gets to live, and I couldn't handle bleeding for long."

The three managed to laugh, although Jack's was to disguise a cough.

"Jack? Anything to add?"

"No. I think that goes for both of us," he says.

Roxanne signs off and it's over. Everyone's laughing and crying and hugging, but Jack's still not sure until he reaches Aster before Hiccup could. "Okay?" he whispers.

"Perfect," he answers.

~o~

Hiccup goes back to his room to collect a few things and find there's nothing to take but the Nightfury pin Heather gave him and Toothless. They were later drove through the streets in a car with blackened windows, and the trains waiting for them. They were barely have time to say good-bye to Anna and Elsa, although they'll see them in a few months, when they tour the districts for a round of victory ceremonies. It's Berk's way of reminding people that the Nightmare Games never really go away. They'll be given a lot of useless plaques, and everyone will have to pretend they love the winners.

The train begins moving and they're plunged into night until they clear the tunnel and Hiccup takes his first free breath since the reaping. Tooth is accompanying them back and Aster, too, of course. They eat an enormous dinner and settle into silence in front of the television to watch a replay of the interview. With Berk growing farther away every second, they begin to think of home. Jack; Of Emma and his mother. Of Jamie. Hiccup; of his on family, his home, where no one was dying. Hiccup excuses himself to change out of his suit and into a plain green shirt, fur vest and pants. Toothless, finally awake, follows him out.

When he comes back out, he sees Jack looking out the window, worried. "What's wrong?" Hiccup asked, and Toothless nuzzled Jack's feet.

"Nothing," he answers.

And the boys simply stand side by side and side. At one point, Hiccup reaches for Jack's hand, sensing his boyfriend's unease, although he didn't know why yet. He's been weird since the recap of the games. Even Toothless felt it.

Jack squeezed back.

Aster startles Jack when he lays a hand on his back. Even now, in the middle of nowhere, he keeps his voice down.

"Great job, you two. Just keep it up in the district until the bloody cameras are gone. We should be okay." Jack watches him head back to the train, avoiding Hiccup's eyes.

"What's he mean?" Hiccup frowns.

Jack looked around first, unsure if it was safe. They were in the clear. Still, to be sure, he embraced Hiccup to whisper directly to his ear.

"Jack! Wha-"

"It's Berk." The older male said in hush tone. "They didn't like our stunt with the berries," he blurt out.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"It seemed too rebellious. Aster wants us to be careful, mostly you."

"Me?"

"That's not even the half of it. We're in trouble, Hic. They've been out to get you, maybe ever since the Nightfury saved you." Jack muttered. "they think you might be trying to incite a rebellion."

"But I'm not," Hiccup frowned. "I don't want a war. It's not gonna change anything."

"Not the way Berk sees it. Sympathizing over deaths, grieving over Ralph's death, revealing who the mutts really were, being the Victor that didn't have to kill." Jack hugged Hiccup tightly, scared for him. "I know your honesty is one of your best qualities. But for now, for your own safety, you better watch what opinions you say."

Hiccup frowned, settling his head on Jack's shoulder, hugging back. "How much trouble are we talking about here?"

"Probably enough to jeopardize even our friends and family back home."

"Sounds fun." Hiccup sighed. "what's the plan?"

"Just keep being lovey-dovey," Jack chuckled tersely. "it won't be hard to do that. Just show them your actions was impulsive, the spur of the moment; love-sickness."

"I'm sorry... I never wanted this to happen..."

Jack spoke to him softly, comfortingly. "Shh, sh. It's going to be all right." he assured, even though he needed a little assuring himself. "I'm here. We made it out the arena, we'll get through this the same way. Together."

But Hiccup knew this was a lot worse than the arena. It was a lot more personal this time. He thought his opinions didn't matter when his name was picked on reaping day, because he thought he'd die anyway. A dead person's opinion wouldn't matter.

But Hiccup lived.

The boys thought they'd be free, that they could just go home and live their lives. That they've escaped the last few months of a horrible dream. But right now, the most dangerous part of the Nightmare Games is about to begin.

**END OF THE NIGHTMARE GAMES**

**A/N: Okay. Hiatus mode. I'll give it a week. While I finished A Viking and The Frost. And start on the Chapter of The Crippled Drake. You all might still remember, but I'll remind you guys. Everytime I update, it will be two updates. One for The Nightmare Games: Catching Frostbite arc and The Crippled Drake. So instead of everyday, maybe I'll update every two days or so. We'll see. **

**SOME SPOILERS FROM THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY BOOKS OR MOVIE OR BOTH DON'T READ ON IF YOU DON'T WANT THEM! Not spoilers for the Nightmare Games though. I'll giv you time to think**

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**I warned you. So yeah, just my opinions, part of the reason I HiJack-ed this story is because I didn't like how the love of Katniss and Peete was mostly an act from the girl's side, and in Mockinjay, I just don't think Katniss sees Peeta as anything more than a crutch, mistaking it for love. There were no words exchanged. No real closure. So in a sense, the romance seemed so shallow. And I wanted Hiccup and Jack to change that. If you readers of the Hunger Games trilogy don't agree with me, it's fine. It's just my opinion anyway, If you want to me to hear your opinions, go ahead and PM me or review.**


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